Marlow Film Studios wins planning permission from UK government

The £750m development, which will include 18 sound stages, was previously blocked by the local council in Buckinghamshire over fears of harming greenbelt land in the area.

Supported by filmmakers, including James Cameron and Sir Sam Mendes, Marlow Studios has promised to support up to 4,000 jobs.

The development is based in a former quarry and landfill site next to a motorway outside Marlow.

Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary for the UK government, granted the planning permission for Marlow Studios. 

Robert Laycock, CEO of Marlow Studios, said: “Marlow Studios will be a media campus like no other – offering the world’s creative businesses a bespoke facility, leading in emerging technology and design that drives creativity and storytelling.

"The global creative sector is growing fast, with a pace of change that is driving new investment. New platforms, new technology, including AI and new ways of telling stories require a different approach. Marlow Studios will be the campus that drives creative collaboration for the coming era.”

The new studio will add to existing UK infrastructure at the likes of Pinewood, Elstree, Leavesden, and Shepperton.

In September 2025, the UK government also stepped in to approve plans to almost double the size of Sky’s studios in Elstree, Hertfordshire, after the land was reclassified as “grey belt”. Prior to this, the development had been rejected by Hertsmere Borough Council over green belt concerns.

Marlow Studios has been designed by architectural practice Wilkinson Eyre, which has designed headquarters and campuses around the world for Dyson, Wellcome Trust, Deutsche Bank, CIBC, Munich Re, Facebook, and Apple – as well as the restoration of London’s Battersea Power Station.

The Chairman of Marlow Studios' advisory board is former Conservative Culture Minister Lord Ed Vaizey.

Marlow Films Studios first launched an appeal against Buckinghamshire Council’s decision to block its planned film and TV studio development in September 2024. Discover more here.