We are happy to announce that Legal & General have recently received planning approval for the Sky Studio Elstree scheme for a Film and TV studio campus.
The development represents a significant investment in the UK and European creative economy. Legal & General will be financing and developing the scheme, which is located in the borough of Hertsmere, north of London with the backing of Sky’s owner Comcast and in partnership with sister-company NBCUniversal.
We are providing Project Management, Employer’s Agent, Quantity Surveying and Principal Designer services on this scheme.
Work to clear the site ready for construction has commenced with strict safety and social distancing guidelines.
Building the film & TV studio of the future
It’s expected that within the first five years of operation, Sky Studios Elstree will generate up to an additional £3 billion of production investment in the UK’s creative economy from Sky, NBCUniversal and other producers.
The final design for the Studios now sees 12 sound stages on site, with the ability to merge together and sub-divide multiple sound stages simultaneously, providing flexibility and scalability to accommodate productions of all sizes. Meaning that the biggest sound stages on site can now increase to cover 60,000 sqft if needed, or reduce to much smaller segregated studios, simultaneously providing Sky Studios and NBCUniversal a COVID-19 ready set up for the future. The production facilities and digital suites on site will also be set up to facilitate remote working.
Creating employment and training opportunities
The construction phase of the build will contribute £230 million to UK GDP in the period 2020 – 2021.
Sky Studios Elstree will lead to the creation of over 2,000 jobs in the local area, including 900 during the construction phase and 1,500 once the studio is operational.
Sky Studios is also committed to supporting the next generation of young and diverse creative talent and will use Sky Studios Elstree to build on its existing work in this area which includes Sky Academy Studios and Mama Youth Project, an initiative that equips young people, aged between 18-25 years of age from under-represented groups, with the necessary skills to work in the TV industry.
Commitment to sustainability
In line with Sky’s commitment to become Net Zero Carbon by 2030, and matching Legal & General’s drive to deliver major ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) projects, it is expected that Sky Studios Elstree will become the most sustainable film and TV production site in the world when it opens in 2022.
It is expected that Sky Studios Elstree will have the capability to generate 20% of its own energy on-site through solar energy. No gas or fossil fuels will be used to power day-to-day operations and Sky will also harvest rainwater for use on site.