PINEWOOD THE CASE FOR EXPANSION - Pinewood Studios

01 SETTING THE SCENEPINEWOOD – THE CASE FOR EXPANSION | 701 SETTING THE SCENEITS CONTEXTTo expand Pinewood Studios’ creative hub of screenbased media facilities, services, skills and technologyto meet the demands of the 21st century.Pinewood Studios location: London, the M25 and GreenbeltM40M4PinewoodHeathrowAirportM25LondonABBREVIATIONS AND MEANINGSPSGPinewood Studios GroupPSLPinewood Studios Ltd (at Iver Heath)PSDFPinewood Studios Development FrameworkMajor FilmA feature film with a budget of more than $100 millionHigh-end TVTelevision programme or series made to the highproduction budget cost and values of a feature filmSBDCSouth Bucks District CouncilBFIBritish Film InstituteDCIDigital and Creative IndustriesNPPFNational Planning Policy FrameworkIntroduction1.1 Increasing international demand over recent years for the UK’s premiumfilm production skills and facilities, combined with the expanding spacerequirements of major, large budget film productions, is outstripping UK supply.1.2 Major US studios, the largest inward investors in this sector, are increasinglyconcerned and looking to the UK to step up its capacity and infrastructure tomeet this shortfall, particularly once the anticipated April 2013 tax incentivesfor high-end television, animation and video games create additional demandfor facilities, skills and services.1.3 Pinewood Studios, the UK’s leading global provider of facilities and services tothe screen-based creative industries, is the only operation in the UK with thescale, reputation and means to expand sufficiently to meet this growing demand.Planning applicationCOMMERCIAL MARKETPINEWOOD STUDIOSGOVERNMENT POLICY1.4 Pinewood Studios has prepared a long-term development scheme to meetthe market needs identified above – the Pinewood Studios DevelopmentFramework (PSDF).THECASE1.5 The scheme is the subject of a planning application to South Bucks DistrictCouncil. The application is supported by a suite of supporting documentscovering a wide range of planning, environmental, economic, transport andtechnical matters, including an Environmental Statement 1 .1.6 This document is a summary of the case for expansion drawing on theapplication documentation. It is made as the basis for the very specialcircumstances that are required to justify a grant of planning permissionfor development in the Green Belt.Three dimensions of change1.7 The case has been developed by a consideration of three leading dimensionsof change:• the commercial market (global & UK)• Government policy• Pinewood’s role and performance1.8 These three dimensions have been analysed in detail in the applicationdocumentation. They combine to provide a clear and coherent rationalefor expansion of sufficient standing to be considered as ‘very specialcircumstances’ in accordance with Green Belt policy 2 .1. See reference list at Appendix 12. NPPF paras 79-92COMMERCIAL MARKETTHECASEPINEWOOD STUDIOSGOVERNMENT POLICYFig 1: Key influencesFigure 2.4 Pinewood Studios location: London, the M25 and Greenbelt