A £1bn “film quarter” in central London has been approved as Britain bolsters its reputation as an alternative to Hollywood.
The Camden Film Quarter received council approval on Monday, almost a decade after the Kentish Town brownfield site was earmarked for redevelopment.
Yoo Capital, the firm behind the £1.3bn makeover of the Olympia Exhibition Centre in Kensington, has vowed to deliver “world-class” film and TV studios.
Lloyd Lee, the developer’s managing partner, said the UK had an unrivalled talent pool, to cater for the most cutting-edge projects.
“If you decide to film in a location where you don’t have the talent pool, you have to move 400 people, put them up in hotels, get them on transportation,” he told The Telegraph, adding: “Location decision-makers genuinely love London.”
A flurry of studio developments in recent years has drawn directors, crews and actors over the pond to film blockbusters such as Barbie, Avengers: Doomsday and Wicked.
In December, Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire had plans approved for a £1bn expansion which included the construction of a data centre.
Over the border in Berkshire, the £250m Shinfield Studios opened in 2024 and has been chosen by Netflix, Lucasfilm and Sony for films such as Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, The Magic Faraway Tree and the upcoming Tomb Raider series.
The new development in north London will feature 11 sound studios, 485 new homes, production and post-production studios, as well as new bases for the National Film and Television School and the London Screen Academy. Parts will be 24 storeys high.
The facilities will be operated by Oxygen Studios, which has worked on the James Bond, Mission: Impossible and Star Wars film franchises.
The developer anticipates the scheme will create 1,365 jobs during its construction and operational phases.
A ‘very rare’ opportunity
At the first meeting of Labour-run Camden council’s planning committee since the local elections, members voted six to five in favour of the development.
Planning officers hailed it as a “very rare” opportunity to secure an unprecedented level of housing provision, but the plans drew opposition from 441 residents and local groups citing the height of 159m, loss of trees and open spaces, and the effect on infrastructure.
During the meeting, Lorna Jane Russell, a Green Party councillor, called the building a monstrosity that would spoil protected views.
Alice Brown, who is standing for the Green Party at the upcoming Regent’s Park by-election, said the greenhouse gas emissions from the lorries involved in construction would be “disastrous”.
Residents from the Kentish Town Neighbourhood Forum argued that the construction works would pose a danger to children as lorries would be passing nearby primary schools.
Planning officers conceded the environmental effect would be significant and greenhouse gas emissions would exceed council benchmarks. However, they argued that the benchmarks “were not targets we need to meet” and the project’s energy efficiency would reduce carbon emissions by 63 per cent.
Trevor Morris, the project’s Camden-based architect, said the project was a “once in a lifetime opportunity to offer meaningful regeneration” and said the structure would remain “firmly rooted in its local context”.
James Slater, the Camden council planning and sustainability cabinet member, told The Times: “The approval of this application will transform an underused area into a thriving, creative, sustainable and better-connected neighbourhood; including improvements to Kentish Town station and the creation of cycling and walking routes.”