Pinewood Studios is set to double in size after winning an appeal against the refusal by South Bucks District Council of its £200m expansion plan in the Green Belt by Arup Associates.
An earlier application involving significant housing was refused by both South Bucks District Council and Communities Secretary Eric Pickles after an appeal.
This time Pickles agreed with the inspector that there were special circumstances that justified what was inappropriate development.
‘The characteristics of the particular site, the relationship to the existing Pinewood Studios, the individual circumstances of the film industry and the details of the supporting economic case, taken together provide a distinguishing combination of features,’ he said.
Pickles concluded: ‘Very special circumstances exist to warrant allowing the inappropriate development, overriding the identified conflict with the development plan’.
The expansion project, known as the Pinewood Studios Development Framework, will double the existing studios by adding more than 100,000 square metres of new facilities, including 12 large stages, workshops and production offices.
