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Sky Studios Elstree hopes for special planning rights

Getty Images Ariana GrandeGetty Images
The 2024 adaptation of the musical Wicked starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo was the first production to film at the studios.

A new television studio complex could be given special planning rights under proposals being discussed.

The upcoming Wicked movie, featuring singer Ariana Grande, and Paddington in Peru, have both been filmed at Sky Studios Elstree in Hertfordshire.

Hertsmere Borough Council could give the studios rights to install equipment and props without needing planning permission each time.

Councillors will discuss the Local Development Orders (LDOs) on Wednesday.

According to council documents, to be decided on by cabinet leaders, the LDOs would "improve the usability of the site as a film studio".

Officers say the special orders could remove "barriers to relatively minor forms of development whilst ensuring that potentially harmful development is excluded from the LDO".

Studio Canal This film publicity image released by Studio Canal shows an animated Paddington bear in the part-animated film Paddington,released in 2014Studio Canal
Sky Studios Elstree has also hosted Paddington in Peru, the third film in the series made by StudioCanal

One LDO would cover the film studio and a second would cover Panattoni Park near Elstree Way, which Sky Studios Limited has a 15-year lease on for additional storage and other facilities.

Hertsmere council has previously adopted an LDO for the EastEnders set at BBC Elstree Centre, also in Borehamwood.

Sky Sky Studio ElstreeSky
According to Sky, its new Borehamwood site will generate an additional £3bn of production investment in the UK creative sector over its first five years.

Together, the orders for Sky Studios Elstree would cover 16 purposes, including construction and installation of props and special effects.

Other developments may require formal planning permission, the council report said - according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The draft LDOs demand Sky Studios Elstree keeps noise to at least five decibels below nearby background noise levels - or provide mitigation such as noise insulation if teams cannot achieve the target.

Barbara Windsor filming on the set of EastEnders in 2016
The council said an LDO for EastEnders filming has protected future storylines

A Sky representative said: "Sky Studios Elstree will attract a range of productions, everything from high-end TV to blockbuster films."

As scale of productions can vary, Sky argued "the way the site is used can differ from production to production".

They said: "Having LDOs in place simply means that many of these temporary structures, which would typically be expected to be granted planning permission, will not go through the planning process each time, freeing up planning officers' time and allowing the studio site to better serve productions without administrative delays."

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