U.K. town takes on movie studio
U.K. town takes on movie studio
The Black Horse Pub in Fulmer, England
Britain's Pinewood Studios has designs on doubling its size. But local residents say the expansion will spoil the countryside, and the plan isn't quite what it seems. Stephen Beard reports.
The Black Horse Pub in the village of Fulmer, England, is a meeting place for opponents to the Pinewood Studios expansion. (Stephen Beard/Marketplace)
More on Entertainment
* Listen to this Story
* E-mail
* Print
* Comment
* Pinewood Studio's Group Director Andrew Smith
Pinewood Studio's Group Director Andrew Smith
* Kay Keane, manager of the Black Horse Pub
Kay Keane, manager of the Black Horse Pub
* Ronnie Lamb, chairman of the local parish council, pets one of his donkeys. He opposes the Pinewood Studios project.
Ronnie Lamb, chairman of the local parish council, pets one of his donkeys. He opposes the Pinewood Studios project.
TEXT OF STORY
Kai Ryssdal: You've heard of Hollywood, of course. And Bollywood, probably too -- India's movie industry based in Mumbai. But what about Pinewood? It too is part of the film business. It's a studio about 20 miles outside London. It's been kind of a mini-Hollywood since the 1930s, turning out movies like "Day of the Jackal" and "Phantom of the Opera." Now Pinewood's got plans to expand out into the surrounding countryside. But the neighbors claim that like everything else in movie-making this plan is not quite what it seems. Marketplace's Stephen Beard reports.
STEPHEN BEARD: Sprawling across 100 acres of rural southern England, Pinewood is already big. All the Bond movies were made here, along with scores of American blockbusters: "Dark Knight," "Wolfman," and the "Bourne Ultimatum."
But Pinewood's Group Director Andrew Smith says he and his colleagues want to expand. They've bought another 100 acres of nearby countryside, and they're planning what he calls a visionary project.
ANDREW SMITH: What we are looking to do is to build a living and working community for the creative industries. And this will be the first of its kind, we think, in the world actually.
The plan at a cost of $300 million: to build up to 1,400 homes for movie-workers, cameramen and carpenters, and set designers and the like. These homes will then double as a film set. They'll be arranged in a series of permanent, street scenes available as a backdrop for moviemaking.
SMITH: We're building 16 street scapes, which will replicate your typical street in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Venice. There are street scenes from New York, Boston, New Orleans, and San Francisco.
He says the project will save money and the environment. There'll be less need to fly film crews to different locations around the world. That will cut Pinewood's carbon emissions. But the plan is not going down well with the locals.
In The Black Horse Pub in the neighboring village of Fulmer, there's almost total opposition. Pub manager Kay Keane says, the landscape around the studio is designated as Green Belt. That means it's legally protected with strict curbs on building and development.
KAY KEANE: Green Belt is Green Belt. You cannot build on Green Belt. And it should never be allowed.
She says Pinewood is in the business of creating illusions, and this project is just another one. She believes it's a sham, a way to get round the Green Belt planning restrictions and make a mint out of the real estate.
KEANE: They're trying to pull the wool over our eyes by making it into Little Venice and Rome, having that as a concept.
BEARD: You think this is just a residential development project?
KEANE: That's all it is.
RONNIE LAMB: Arthur! Arthur's coming. Come on Fred!
Ronnie Lamb calling his two pet donkeys. Ronnie is chairman of the local Parish Council. He says no one could possibly object to Pinewood building its street scenes. The problem is then populating them permanently with up to 4,000 real people.
LAMB: The major concerns from the locals, who actually like Pinewood, is that we're going to have a huge development where the local roads are simply totally unable to cope with that level of traffic.
Back at Pinewood, the studio is quietly confident that it will eventually assuage local concerns and persuade the authorities to approve the plan. Movie-making, after all, is a lucrative, and highly popular industry.
BOND MOVIE: Good to see you Mr. Bond!
But Pinewood, scene of so many staged confrontations, must know that it now has a real fight on its hands.
At Pinewood Studios, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.
Showing posts with label buckinghamshire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buckinghamshire. Show all posts
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Robberies in Fulmer
Heard of a couple of robberies in Fulmer last week. Seems to be a bit of a trend. Police notified.
Sunday, 26 April 2009
The Roads are getting more dangerous
I am getting increasingly worried about the amount of traffic that is on the roads at the moment - and worse - the speeds at which they travel.
We all see the flowers that are being left in memory of victims of crazy drivers. When is the local authority going to do something. What impact will the Pinewood Studios proposed developent have?
South Bucks area fares badly compared with Government statistics, for road traffic
accidents. South Bucks population is 15% of the total Buckinghamshire population yet 27% of KSI (killed or seriously injured) are within South Bucks.
We all see the flowers that are being left in memory of victims of crazy drivers. When is the local authority going to do something. What impact will the Pinewood Studios proposed developent have?
South Bucks area fares badly compared with Government statistics, for road traffic
accidents. South Bucks population is 15% of the total Buckinghamshire population yet 27% of KSI (killed or seriously injured) are within South Bucks.
What is the Pinewood Studios Development
The Pinewood Building Project
The Corporate spin (they put up the PR guy - not the main man which is interesting).
Text from their website...
A significant number of Pinewood employees, clients, suppliers and tenants live in the area and contribute to Pinewood Studios’ worldwide reputation for excellence. To secure its long term future, Pinewood has to remain forward thinking, anticipating the challenges from international competition and the rapidly evolving demands of its clients. From its foundation, Pinewood Studios has contributed to, and participated in, many local events.
Some of our recent community-based contributions include:
* Contributions to Langley Park Restoration Project
* The Iver Heath Youth Project in partnership with Chalfont Community College
* The opening of the new link between Black Park and Pinewood Road, along the southern boundary of Pinewood Studios, in April 2008
* Sponsorship of Riding for the Disabled in Fulmer
* Payment of annual rental for headquarters of Iver Heath Drama Society
* Provision of lighting equipment to Iver Infant School
Does not seem a lot of community involvement when there is so much money to be made with the development. Development in the middle of the green belt. What would Sir John Betjeman think....
The Corporate spin (they put up the PR guy - not the main man which is interesting).
Text from their website...
A significant number of Pinewood employees, clients, suppliers and tenants live in the area and contribute to Pinewood Studios’ worldwide reputation for excellence. To secure its long term future, Pinewood has to remain forward thinking, anticipating the challenges from international competition and the rapidly evolving demands of its clients. From its foundation, Pinewood Studios has contributed to, and participated in, many local events.
Some of our recent community-based contributions include:
* Contributions to Langley Park Restoration Project
* The Iver Heath Youth Project in partnership with Chalfont Community College
* The opening of the new link between Black Park and Pinewood Road, along the southern boundary of Pinewood Studios, in April 2008
* Sponsorship of Riding for the Disabled in Fulmer
* Payment of annual rental for headquarters of Iver Heath Drama Society
* Provision of lighting equipment to Iver Infant School
Does not seem a lot of community involvement when there is so much money to be made with the development. Development in the middle of the green belt. What would Sir John Betjeman think....
Tips on Deer Spotting
The BBC have given me tips for Deer watching the deer....
Watch out for tell-tale signs of the animals including tracks, damage to trees, eaten autumn fruits, and deer poo. Yep. Found that
Use your nose to detect the scent of deer and their droppings. Well, they actually sit there and stare at me.
Once you've located the deer's favourite habitats, be patient and watch quietly for the action to unfold. Patience not needed. They are there all the time.
The best time to watch the deer is just after dawn and at dusk when they are most active. Yep. Yep. Yep
Listen for the bellow of this herd's dominant stag during the rut. Whistling is also common.
Keep quiet and wear camouflage colours when watching the deer because they are easily disturbed. Not the ones we have.
Remember to keep a safe distance from the stag and his females!
Watch out for tell-tale signs of the animals including tracks, damage to trees, eaten autumn fruits, and deer poo. Yep. Found that
Use your nose to detect the scent of deer and their droppings. Well, they actually sit there and stare at me.
Once you've located the deer's favourite habitats, be patient and watch quietly for the action to unfold. Patience not needed. They are there all the time.
The best time to watch the deer is just after dawn and at dusk when they are most active. Yep. Yep. Yep
Listen for the bellow of this herd's dominant stag during the rut. Whistling is also common.
Keep quiet and wear camouflage colours when watching the deer because they are easily disturbed. Not the ones we have.
Remember to keep a safe distance from the stag and his females!
Which deers are eating our plants?
I am trying to work out which deers are eating our plants. Any ideas?
There seem to be a few types of deer in the British Isles: My money is on the Roe and The Muntjac. Sweet though they may be, I really should stop buying plants for them!
Red Deer
The Red Deer is our largest deer is characterised by its large, ginger rump. The male stage has impressively large antlers which appear in spring. Mainly seen in Scotland, the Lake District, South West England and Ireland.
Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer are medium in size and distinguished by their dappled coats and white bums with a black stripe. Often seen in parks across the British Isles - except in northern Scotland.
The Roe Deer
The Roe Deer is a small-medium sized deer with an attractive reddish coat. The male has small antlers whilst the female has none. Mainly spotted in southern England and Scotland - unlikely to be seen in Wales and the Midlands.
The Sika Deer
The Sika Deer is small in size with a white powder puff rear. The male has narrow antlers with little branching. Grey-brown in colour, becoming redder in summer. Most common in woodland areas across England and Scotland.
The Muntjac
The Muntjac is the smallest British deer. with its reddish brown coat, this deer is barely the size of a large dog. The male has short antlers and tusk-like canines. Mostly seen in southern and central England.
There seem to be a few types of deer in the British Isles: My money is on the Roe and The Muntjac. Sweet though they may be, I really should stop buying plants for them!
Red Deer
The Red Deer is our largest deer is characterised by its large, ginger rump. The male stage has impressively large antlers which appear in spring. Mainly seen in Scotland, the Lake District, South West England and Ireland.
Fallow Deer
Fallow Deer are medium in size and distinguished by their dappled coats and white bums with a black stripe. Often seen in parks across the British Isles - except in northern Scotland.
The Roe Deer
The Roe Deer is a small-medium sized deer with an attractive reddish coat. The male has small antlers whilst the female has none. Mainly spotted in southern England and Scotland - unlikely to be seen in Wales and the Midlands.
The Sika Deer
The Sika Deer is small in size with a white powder puff rear. The male has narrow antlers with little branching. Grey-brown in colour, becoming redder in summer. Most common in woodland areas across England and Scotland.
The Muntjac
The Muntjac is the smallest British deer. with its reddish brown coat, this deer is barely the size of a large dog. The male has short antlers and tusk-like canines. Mostly seen in southern and central England.
Properties for sale in Fulmer
If you have a few million to spend have a look at the Knight Frank website. They are about 3-4 for sale in the village at the moment. This one is up near Black Park.
Fulmer Rise
Fulmer Rise
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
