The use of a huge warehouse as a soundstage to make movies has come one step closer.
The Science Museum and film production company Dignus Films already have plans to turn one of the hangars at Wroughton Airfield into a soundstage studio.
Now the two organisations, which have created a consortium called Wroughton Studios and Science Museum Group, have been given the go-ahead for buildings needed to support the work at the studios.
Planners at Swindon Borough Council have called ‘action’ on the consortium’s plans to build a two-storey office building just to the side of the hangar and another single-storey building which will be the craft workshops for the studio.
There will also be a new car parking area and hard-standing laid for generators.
The application reveals: “The proposed workshop and office building will provide further set building space and office and welfare facilities for crew and actors.
"These form an essential part of the film stage operation and cannot be accommodated within the hangar itself.”
The group says each filming day will see about £60-70,000 added to the local economy, as "there will be approximately up to 200 people employed per shoot (usually approximately 45 at any one time), utilising car sharing and taxi services".
“The proposed use will have a positive impact on the local supply chain with recognised industry data indicating that this will be in the order of an estimated £60-£70k being invested into the local and regional areas, per production day.”
The plans show the officer block to be a very utilitarian, removable building, which would rest on concrete pads.
The application adds: “The office will provide general working space, toilet/welfare facilities and rest areas for crew and actors. The building will be coloured in a dark olive-green colour to match other buildings on the side and to blend into the landscape.”
The plan is to have it constructed off-site and delivered to the airfield intact, where it can be set up quickly, which would be less disruption than constructing it onsite.
The workshop will be a single-storey aluminium-clad building which will also be painted dark green.
Planners at Euclid Street were happy with the proposals and said: “In facilitating the longer-term use of Hangar 3 as a film studio the workshop and office will help the significant economic and social benefits as well as environmental benefits in the re-use of an existing building.
“The utilitarian design and appearance of the workshop and office will ensure they maintain the significance of the hangar as a non-designated heritage asset.”
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