Shinfield Studios begin work on phase two of mammoth film studio complex

The second stage in the development of a Hollywood blockbuster scale movie studio development is underway at Shinfield Studios in Berkshire.

Full planning permission was granted for the project last month. Four film studios are already in operation on University of Reading land, renamed The Thames Valley Science Park.

On completion the state-of-the-art facilities will be home to 18 sound stages, creating an 85,000 square meter media hub and becoming one of the largest film and TV studios in the UK.

Nick Smith and Ian Johnson, Joint Managing Directors, Shinfield Studios said “We are now well on our way to creating a world-leading media hub in the heart of Berkshire. The encouragement from Wokingham Borough Council, the University and the local community has been fantastic. We would like to thank all our partners who have supported our progress so far.”

An 85,000 sq m media hub, situated on the Thames Valley Science Park, the new campus from the university.

Council leader John Halsall was joined by Shinfield colleagues Cllrs Jim Frewin, Barrie Patman and Jackie Rance, as well as Paul Inman from the University of Reading, a team from Curo Construction, and Shinfield Studios joint managing directors Nick Smith and Ian Johnson.

“We are now well on our way to creating a world-leading media hub in the heart of Berkshire,” the joint managing directors said.

“The encouragement from Wokingham Borough Council, the University and the local community has been fantastic."

The new film studios in Berkshire are set to generate more than £650million per year to the UK economy. Such is the concentration of new studios facilities in the Thames Valley it has been redubbed ‘Cine Valley.'

The new studio construction projects have been described by the British Film Commission (BFC) “as a once in a generation growth in production.”

Evidence of the buoyant state of the UK film industry is provided by the fact that 209 films began principal photography in 2021; totalling a UK production spend of £1.55 billion.

The boost to the UK film industry by the Cine Valley projects is clear. With demand for studio space at an all-time high, the Thames Valley facilities are supplying industry with cutting edge studio technology and innovative thinking.

The latest studio to open is in Winnersh. It has the potential to boost the UK economy by £50million according to production company Stage Fifty. The studio will also create 1000 new jobs.

To meet industry demands and avoid falling foul of the laborious planning regulations, the Winnersh studio was built before full planning was granted. This was made possible by the fact 90% of the construction materials are reusable or recyclable.

The production company announced retrospective planning permission had been granted this week. Had construction not already begun they would, they said have lost valuable work.

The production house is the latest in a series of Thames Valley, Hollywood blockbuster style construction developments.

James Enright, CEO, Stage Fifty: “We’re developing a world-class creative tech hub for the film and TV industry at Winnersh Film Studios. “Together with our manufacturing partners, SPANTECH, we’re building the new sound stages, including a 30,000 sq ft facility to house the world’s largest virtual production volume, which we’re developing with the team at Fin Studio Pictures.”

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission described the opening of Stage Fifty’s Winnersh studios as: "brilliant news for the UK’s screen industries.”Winnersh is Stage Fifty’s second major film studio, the first is located less than 20 miles away in Farnborough.

Thames Valley is also host to the Shinfield Studios development. Boasting Disney among its client base, Shinfield will, when fully operational, employ 3,000 people and inject £600million p/a into the economy.

A major Disney project will begin production at the Berkshire facility later this year.

Industry figures collated and released this month by the BFC revealed that, 64% of the total UK 2021 film spend was accounted for by US studio-backed productions (£992 million), such as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Marvel productions, The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

BFC figures reveal inward investment spend from major international productions in 2021 was a record £4.713 billion - an increase of 86% on 2020’s figure.

Currently Shinfield Studios has four operational studios in Reading with planning approved for 14 more. It is hoped these will be operational by 2024.

The project is a collaboration between University of Reading and Commonwealth Real Estate LP, an L.A. based film studios investor.

The land is leased to the studios by the University, while students avail of training and hands on industry experience.

The skills gap is a challenge to Stage Fifty, James Enright explains: “One of the biggest challenges our industry is facing is the availability of skilled crew. We have exceptional talent in the UK, but there are not enough people to meet demand, so we’ll work with the local Berkshire community to offer training and apprenticeships to support the next generation of great British filmmakers."

While new production facilities are a strong lure for foreign productions, they are only part of the package on offer. There are strong financial industry specific incentives. Productions, for example can access cash rebates of up to 25% on UK qualifying expenditure, and tax relief up to 80% of core expenditure.

These breaks are a direct investment.

Nick Smith, Joint Managing Director, Shinfield Studios said: “Once complete Shinfield Studios expects to generate total inward investment to the UK economy of approximately £600 million each year.

“We are incredibly excited about the potential for Shinfield Studios.

“Our goal has been to move rapidly to support our clients who need to secure space from next year.

“Completing the first four sound stages already has enabled us to get up and running quickly and deliver a state-of-the-art studio space to meet Disney’s needs.”

Ian Johnson, Joint Managing Director, Shinfield Studios added: “It’s well documented that there is an ever-growing demand for studio space in the UK and we’re thrilled to be able to take advantage of this and create a world class home for the film and TV community within Berkshire.

“Wokingham Borough Council and the community of Shinfield have been incredibly supportive of this vision and we look forward to contributing to the employment and cultural opportunities in the local area.”

Adrian Wootton, BFC Chief Executive, added: “The UK is enjoying a once-in-a-generation growth in production. The benefits are being felt right across our nations and regions, with large-scale investment in infrastructure and revenue into UK plc that will directly benefit local communities.

“Existing production hubs are growing to accommodate the demand, and new hubs are developing throughout the UK, bringing with them thousands of new jobs.

“The BFC is proud to have provided support to projects and companies accounting for 92% of the total inward investment high-end TV and feature film spend in the UK in 2021.

“We and our partners are determined to harness this phenomenal demand and support an ever-widening workforce to produce world-class content for global audiences.”