DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by
OF THE YEAR
Winner: Pinewood Studios
The finalists for Development of the Year might all have been film locations – in fact, one definitely is.
Pinewood Studios was up against the former RAF West Drayton airfield base, and a historic village estate created by John Walter, proprietor of The Times newspaper.
To a film-like backdrop of big-screen visuals and dynamic music, David Gower announced and briefly detailed the three shortlisted development projects:
• Bearwood Park Estate • Drayton Garden Village • Pinewood Studios
Here the award judges were focused on ‘future’ commercial projects; buildings either recently completed or with consent to be built in the near future.
Bearwood Park Estate is a mixed-use development that will transform 120-acres of the historic Bearwood Estate into a world-class training campus for Reading Football Club. Along with 13 football pitches, the Barton Willmore designed development between Wokingham and Reading, will provide club headquarters, changing rooms and visitor facilities that will help maintain ‘The Royals’ Category 1 status within the Elite Player Performance Plan. The development will sensitively rejuvenate the site, within a Grade II Listed Park, aiming to remove it from English Heritage’s ‘at risk’ register.
Drayton Garden Village is being built at the former National Air Traffic Control Centre at RAF West Drayton. A vibrant sustainable community has been created, transforming a large tranche of previously derelict and inaccessible land. The 31-acre Drayton Garden Village is providing 779 homes, designed and planned by Inland Homes, all served by an
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innovative district heat network. DGV has landscaped neighbourhoods with ample leisure and play areas, retail and office space, a care home, wildlife corridor, heritage trail, plus, of course, a village green.
Green Belt constraints were hampering future growth of Pinewood Studios, the international icon of the British film industry. Pinewood and planning consultants Turley prepared an ambitious high-quality 1 million sq ft expansion scheme. Planning consent was initially refused. Turley led an appeal and gained LEP support. Following a six-week public inquiry, the secretary of state accepted Pinewood’s case for a £200 million expansion, securing its future and associated jobs, skills and economic contribution. The first new film stage is due to open this summer.
Giles Blagden, managing director of Thames Valley commercial property advisers Hicks Baker, announced the winning development and presented the trophy to David Wight, property director of Pinewood Studios.
Rob Lucas, chief executive of Turley, led the TVPA award-winning assistance of his firm, which is now continuing to work with the studios to implement its £200m development.
He commented later: “We extend our warmest congratulations to Pinewood Studios and everybody involved in bringing forward what is probably the most significant development in the Thames Valley in 2015/16. The scheme will create a thriving business place that extends beyond film, and we are delighted to be playing our part.”
The final development is estimated to protect and create around 3,100 jobs and add £400m to the economy while providing a permanent home for Star Wars and Bond productions.
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – JUNE 2016
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