U.K. town takes on movie studio

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)

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* 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.

Robberies in Fulmer

Heard of a couple of robberies in Fulmer last week. Seems to be a bit of a trend. Police notified.

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....

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!

Pinewood Studios Building in Green Belt

On Wednesday 21st May at 8pm in the Village Hall Ivan Dunleavy, PatrickGarner, David Wight and Andrew Smith from Pinewood Studios will give a presentation on their plans to build far too many houses opposite their current site housing up to 7,000 people!

Sending out a quarterly newsletter to sell the idea to the surrounding area is really not a plan. I assume the debt crisis has caused them to rethink.

They clearly have not considered the impact in many ways on Fulmer but particularly on traffic and property. Hopefully by May 21st they will have given due consideration to Fulmer and the impact on our community. They have committed to write about their plans in the Newsletter which will be out in early May giving everyone the opportunity to consider what they have written ahead of the meeting on May 29th.

Background on Fulmer

Fulmer is often described as "the prettiest village in South Bucks" and, indeed, it has won the Buckinghamshire Best Kept Village competition many times. Nestling deep in the beautiful valley of the River Alderbourne, it is also one of the first truly separate villages outside the suburban sprawl of Greater London, with excellent road links into the capital and onto the national motorway network as well as fast access to a choice of rail and underground stations locally.

Protected within the Green Belt and with a Conservation Area at its heart, its charm and character should be preserved for generations to come. It is a magnet for those who appreciate rural calm and lovely country walks, alongside all the advantages of modern-day living.

Yet this tiny village with less than 500 residents is definitely "not just a pretty face". Underneath its peaceful façade of quaint cottages and desirable country residences, there is a vibrant community spirit and a deep, genuine, welcoming friendliness. In Fulmer, you know your neighbours and have ample opportunities to join in with village activities.

Fulmer Family Social Club embraces all Fulmer residents and organises several annual village events, including Fulmer Day on the last Saturday in June, the Bonfire Night fireworks celebrations and the Christmas Party.

Fulmer Night and other special events are organised by the Black Horse pub, which also offers good beer and an excellent restaurant.

Parties, sales, gatherings, meetings and performances take place at the Village Hall while the King George V recreation ground is the focus for sports including football, cricket, tennis and wheelchair tennis. The new Pavilion is also available for private bookings for meetings and parties and the Guide and Scout huts and the allotments are adjacent to it.

St James’ Church is a thriving Anglican parish church in the centre of the village and this also has an active programme of services and events to which all members of the community are very welcome.

Fulmer Infant School, in Alderbourne Lane, is very much at the heart of the community and joins enthusiastically in all village activities. It is a very popular Local Education Authority school for children aged 4-7, taught in three year groups, with about 55-60 children in the whole school.