UK government refuses planning permission for £200m live-in replica cities.

UK studio Pinewood Shepperton has been refused planning permission for its live-in replica cities initiative Project Pinewood by the secretary of state for communities and local government.

The long-in-the-works Buckingham development, set to cost £200m, would allow people to live in Paris-, Venice- and New York-style buildings when they were not used for filming.

The controversial plans met protests from neighbours who were alarmed at the prospect of increased traffic and possible damage to the green belt. The studio was also refused planning permission for the project in 2009.

The studio issued a statement saying it was ‘disappointed’ by the decision but that its “investment in the Project Pinewood land and costs incurred for the planning application are not material to the long term prospects of the Company”. 

Pinewood Shepperton, best known for the Harry Potter and James Bond films, recently hosted Ridley Scott’s upcoming sci-fi epic Prometheus.

Topics