TECH Eight stage TV and film studio to open in High Wycombe

An eight-stage ‘boutique’ film studio is planned to open in High Wycombe later this year. Wycombe Film Studios, which has been announced by studios operator Stage Fifty, will be housed on a 26-acre site just off the M40 to the southwest of High Wycombe.

Temporary planning applications have been submitted to Buckinghamshire Council to enable the studios to open this year, to support a Hollywood feature film that will start shooting in 2022.

An application for a permanent studio – covering 295,000 sq ft - will follow later this year. Stage Fifty says the new studio supports Buckinghamshire Council’s objective of fostering economic growth by delivering multi-million-pound investment to the region and creating hundreds of exciting new jobs for the local community.

It is expected the studio will support around 1,200 jobs – 750 full-time direct jobs and 450 indirect jobs in the supply chain. It will also create 600 temporary jobs during the construction phase. Stage Fifty is launching an apprentice scheme to provide hands-on experience and training opportunities.

Wycombe Film Studios will be sustatinable, says Stage Fifty, which, together with its partners has developed “new technologies and innovative ways to build greener and more quickly than our competitors.”

Its plans include solar roofs for clean energy and recycled soundproofing inside the stages.

The studio will be Stage Fifty’s third site in the UK, following its studios in Farnborough and Winnersh.

James Enright, CEO of Stage Fifty, said: “We’re excited to reveal our plans for Wycombe Film Studios. We’ve been working behind the scenes for two years to ensure we have everything in place to build a world-class film studio with all the elements for success.

“We’ve received temporary planning approval to build one stage and workshops and have submitted further applications for three more stages to support a major feature film that will start shooting this year. We’ll apply for full planning permission to create the long-term permanent studio in the coming months.”

“Ideal for independent productions and global franchises alike, the studio will establish High Wycombe as a destination for national and international film and high-end television projects, attracting the world’s most innovative content creators and inspiring a new generation of British filmmakers in the heart of Buckinghamshire.”

Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission, added: “The UK is enjoying an immense, once-in-a-generation production boom, generating billions of pounds for the UK economy and translating into thousands of new jobs across the country’s nations and regions. Indeed, the demand for filmed content is at an all-time high, which in turn is driving the need for additional studio and stage space. The development of new facilities, such as Wycombe Film Studios, in tandem with a focus on greater skills development, will further strengthen the UK’s position as a leading centre of film and high-end TV production in the world.”