Plans to expand Elstree Studios and provide a post-lockdown jobs boost for Borehamwood have moved forward.

A £12 million project to build new sound stages on the site of the former Big Brother House was agreed at an extraordinary council meeting last night.

Senior councillors at Hertsmere Borough Council approved the scheme which will take the television and film studios to the next level - and provide an economic boost for residents too.

With Sky building a huge studios on the outskirts of the town, leader of the council and chairman of Elstree Studios, Morris Bright, says this is the 'return of British Hollywood to Borehamwood'.

What was approved last night?

Funding was approved which will pay for the construction of two new stages, or one 'superstage', and facilities at the rear of the council-owned Elstree Studios, on the site previously occupied by reality TV show Big Brother.

The studios, currently home to Strictly Come Dancing and The Crown, has had to turn away £30 million worth of revenue in the last 18 months due to a lack of space.

This includes rejecting 14 television shows, a number of long term drama series and feature films, and four major big budget feature films looking for long-term stage rental.

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How will this project be funded?

Overall, the scheme will cost £12 million.

Six million pounds will come from the council's reserves while the other half will be funded via the Hertfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).

Elstree Studios is one of the beneficiaries of a government grant scheme aimed at boosting local economies.

The LEP was responsible for choosing where to invest funding, and the studios was selected as one of six "shovel ready" projects in Hertfordshire.

The funding from the LEP is subject to formal notification still.

Why does this make economic sense for the council?

Hertsmere Borough Council owns Elstree Studios and receives annual rental income of £1.6 million.

The council has aspirations to expand the studios, because it is at full capacity, but Covid-19 meant the project had to be put on hold.

Big Brother occupied Elstree Studios for 16 years, at a cost of £500,000 per annum.

But the television show has come to an end and the site where the famous Big Brother house was currently has no use.

The government grant scheme has allowed the council to revisit its plans to expand the studios.

This development will provide a lucrative economic return to the council.

The additional rental income from the studios is anticipated to be £1 million per annum, which net of financing costs amounts to a return on the general fund of £675k per annum.

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How will this benefit the people of Borehamwood and Hertsmere?

Just like with the creation of Sky Studios, this project is also set to bring an economic boost and jobs.

The council says the expansion plans at Elstree Studios have already attracted interest from major production companies and it hoped this will lead to the creation of at least 800 jobs per year over the next 50 years.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit Borehamwood's employment rate hard.

A report on the council's website states that statistics show there has been a 180 per cent increase in unemployment since March, while the year on year increase is 238 per cent.

By the end of May, the total unemployment claimants in Hertsmere rose to 3,740.

There is set to be a significant number of apprenticeship opportunities for school leavers and unemployed residents.

It is anticipated the project will deliver up to 150 new learners per annum over the next five to ten years including apprenticeship opportunities with a modular approach of 20 per annum. Over the project lifetime, there is likely to be more than 2,200 new learners and this will potentially continue for the next 50 years.

It has been agreed that £100,000 per year of the project's profits will be invested into the creative industries in Hertsmere, including local media and creative enterprises and initiatives.

Sky Studios will attract £3 billion of production investment and create 2,000 jobs in the borough.

Read more: Plans for Sky Studios in Borehamwood approved

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'The dawn of a new golden age'

Leader of the council, Cllr Morris Bright, said: "Elstree Studios represents the beating heart of our borough – it is a fundamental part of our heritage having been in operation here in Borehamwood since the 1920s.

"We are committed to realising this project as a huge boon for our residents and businesses; the wider Hertfordshire community and the UK’s creative sector.

"If realised, this project will come at a time when many of our residents are experiencing severe financial difficulties following the coronavirus pandemic.

"Now more than ever, we need Elstree Studios to thrive and these new state-of-the-art studios will secure its future for generations to come."

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Cllr Morris Bright

Roger Morris, managing director of Elstree Studios, said: "The new stages will provide Elstree Studios with almost 60 per cent more capacity for productions ranging from feature films to high-end television and drama. We already have major production companies requesting to hire the new stages once they are built.

"We also have a mission to train more young people from the area to work in the film and television industry. To further this outcome, The Elstree Screen Arts Academy formerly called the Elstree UTC will be working closely with all the studios in Hertsmere, to create custom vocational courses for young people to fill the skills shortages in the growing UK creative sector.

"This can be considered the dawn of a new golden age for the television and film industry in Hertsmere."

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Councillor Jeremy Newmark, leader of the Hertsmere Labour group, said he was "proud to support these proposals which have the potential to become a catalyst and even the bedrock of local economic recovery".

He added he was "thrilled" that his party's amendment for a £100,000 annual contribution to the community was agreed.