Pinewood Shepperton is revisiting plans to expand its Buckinghamshire base in a bid to keep pace with rival facilities and attract more international content.

The facilities group today announced that it will begin speaking with the TV and film production community, the government and local residents as it looks to draw up a 20-year development plan for the site.

It follows the blocking in January of Pinewood’s proposed development of standing sets and 1,500 homes.

The latest consultation will consider Pinewood’s existing site and adjacent greenbelt land, which was the subject of the refused Project Pinewood scheme.

Plans to build homes have been dropped from the proposals, which will focus on the need for stage and studio space and television broadcast facilities.

Pinewood Shepperton chief executive Ivan Dunleavy said the consultation was driven by Pinewood and the UK’s inability to satisfy rising demand from the audio-visual sector.

Without major investment the studio group said it would “struggle to remain globally competitive and respond to the changing needs and ever increasing demands of the screen and digital industries.”

“We must respond effectively to the growing demand and compete on an equal footing; otherwise Pinewood will fall behind its international competitors,” Dunleavy said.

“Increasingly producers require the cost efficiencies that come from the co-location of creative skills, production experience and infrastructure for which Pinewood Studios has been renowned. 

“We are determined to respond to the opportunity to create jobs and growth in this vibrant sector of the UK economy”.

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