A decision on fiercely-opposed plans for Marlow Film Studios has been delayed until at least next Spring.
Buckinghamshire Council’s strategic sites committee narrowly voted to defer the decision at its October 23 meeting. The Green Belt development had attracted both passionate support and opposition.
After a vote on a motion to refuse the scheme just failed to go through, a vote to defer the decision produced a five-five stalemate until meeting chair Cllr Allan Turner used his casting vote.
He told the meeting: “I’m the last person who wants to see Green Belt disappear and I think it’s very important that we all fight, in our own way, very hard to keep it.”
Speaking at the meeting, opposition campaign group Save Marlow’s Greenbelt called the benefits uncertain but said the harms are certain.
It wanted councillors to support the officers’ recommendation to refuse the scheme.
The proposal for a 36-hectare landfill site would create more than 4,000 jobs and a new transport hub would provide buses between Maidenhead and High Wycombe and a hopper service around Marlow, Little Marlow and Bourne End.
There would also be a new community building and a Culture and Skills Academy hub.
In a statement, Robert Laycock, Marlow Film Studios chief executive, said: “We strongly believe that Buckinghamshire deserves this opportunity to maintain and grow its position as a globally significant player in the UK’s creative economy which is backed by central Government’s commitment to support a growth industry.
“We will continue to work diligently with officers to provide beneficial solutions for the area and deliver the world’s best studio.”
The decision will now be made by the council in March 2024 after further analysis has taken place.
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