A top British director has joined James Cameron in backing plans for a film studio in Marlow.

Richard Curtis, best known for his genre-defining romantic comedies including Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Four Weddings and a Funeral, has thrown his weight behind plans for a multi-million-pound film studio to be built near the A404 in Little Marlow.

In a video message released by Marlow Film Studios, the BAFTA fellow praised the site’s ‘convenience’ and shared his memories about the “magic” of studio sets after breaking into the big time with Four Weddings in 1994.

He said: “They are places I really love. You do start to feel as though you’re kind of going to a place that’s your second or third home.

“The thing I love about the idea of a new studio is that it will build up a new history – famous things that have not even been dreamed of will become part of the legacy of British cinema.

“Also, Marlow’s very convenient, being just down the M40.”

Just last month, Avatar and Titanic director James Cameron put forward a similar view in a letter to Buckinghamshire Council ahead of a committee decision on the project, even suggesting it could become a base for his production company, Lightstorm.

He wrote: "The next iteration of screen storytelling requires a purpose-built working space of exceptional quality, and trained professionals to grow the 3D market.

“I look forward to Marlow Film Studios opening its doors in support of the next evolution of 3D storytelling."

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Marlow Film Studios

Despite the praise from industry heavyweights, the studio has yet to convince planning officials of its viability, with both Buckinghamshire Council’s highways team and planning officers recommending the application’s refusal in recent weeks.

While developers have been adamant about the economic benefits the studio would bring to the area – injecting £3.5 billion into the economy per decade and creating over 4,000 jobs – critics have pointed to the acknowledged environmental harm of the project, which could signify “inappropriate development” on the Greenbelt and conflict with plans for the Little Marlow Lakes Country Park.

Proposed investment into local roads has also not been enough to dissuade Bucks Highways from the view that Marlow Film Studios would put undue pressure on traffic in the area, especially in relation to the oft-congested Westhorpe Interchange, a central piece of transport infrastructure close to the site.

A spokesperson for the studio said they “look forward” to discussing such concerns in detail at the Strategic Sites Committee meeting to decide on the film studio on Thursday, May 30. A webcast will be live-streamed on the Buckinghamshire Council website.