An environmental group has raised over £20k to fight plans for a film studio's development on their doorstep. 

Save Marlow's Greenbelt, a campaign group founded in 2021, revealed at a meeting on Tuesday (April 18) they had raised more than £20k to fund their continued commitment to protecting designated greenbelt land in the surrounding areas.

The group also announced a new target of £50k to accompany their continued expansion and fund further consultancy and legal experts to challenge developers.

Richard Sherwin, chair of SMGB, said some of the funds had been allocated to the recruitment of planning consultants and barristers, who have examined and contested the Marlow Film Studios project among other proposals.

Save Marlow's Greenbelt also revealed they are in the process of becoming a registered company limited by guarantee in order to consolidate their legitimacy and protect the legal standing of chair members.

Co-chair Sam Kershaw spoke at the meeting about the ethos behind the group's determination to campaign against developments on greenbelt land.

"People think of greenbelt land as peaceful countryside but it serves more of a purpose than that.

"It ensures that the Marlow and Bourne End areas are maintained as they historically have always been. Even the smallest incursion on this land poses the danger of setting a precedent which could see the whole area merging into one urban sprawl."

Chief Executive of Marlow Film Studios, Robert Laycock, said he understood the ecological concerns of residents but saw the studios project as an "incredible" opportunity to capitalise upon Buckinghamshire's status as a world-class destination for filmmakers.

"Last year, 8% of global box office ticket sales came from productions based in Buckinghamshire which is an amazing achievement for British filmmakers.

"This is not something we should let lie because it's an engine for so much opportunity and a way to get people's creative voices recognised the world over."

He believes the Film Studios is justified in its proposed development on greenbelt land due to a need to capitalise upon Buckinghamshire's burgeoning status as a filmmaking hub.

Adding: "The National Policy Planning Framework sets a very high threshold for greenbelt development and we can assure people it's not a trojan horse project.

"That's why we are continuing to do an enormous amount of work around the proposal and it's also why every subsequent project will have to pass those same hurdles."

Readers can visit https://savemarlowsgreenbelt.org/ to learn more about the SMGB campaign.