A LARGE multi-storey car park is set to be built at Pinewood Studios as it sets its sights to become the “largest film studio in the world”.

Planners at Buckinghamshire Council gave the nod for the world-renowned film studio in Iver Heath, which was used for the filming of the James Bond and Star Wars franchises, to erect a five-storey car park that serves nearly 1,200 vehicles and 52 surface-level car parking bays.

Ten per cent of the bays were proposed to be accessible and another ten per cent were put forward to have electric vehicle charging points. Ten motorcycle bays and 15 covered cycle parking spaces are also included.

It also includes a 26,780-square-foot workshop with offices, security huts, and a unit base – which are areas typically used for catering, crowd holding, and artist trailers – as well as landscaping.

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The whole estate is currently served by nearly 2,850 car parking spaces but due to a loss of over 1,100 parking bays at Pinewood West, it has a ‘historic shortfall’ in parking it needs to fill.

This is because the studio is growing to meet the rising demand for production accommodation in the UK.

The planning statement goes on to say that addressing this ‘historic shortfall’ will ‘support the success of Pinewood Studios as a world-leading hub and innovation campus for the creative arts industry’.

This is part of the £800m major expansion plans onto the Green Belt, which has been subject to major controversy from campaigners, that sees new sound stages, backlot filming space, an education and training hub, and a 25.6-hectare publicly accessible nature reserve at Alderbourne Farm.

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Although planning officers admitted this was inappropriate for the Green Belt, which is usually given great protection from development, the economic benefits that could inject £640m a year into the UK economy and the 8,000 jobs creation outweighed this impact.

The Pinewood Group said this expansion will make it the “biggest studio complex in the world”.