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Concerns over possible Pinewood move to Asia
FEARS are growing that Pinewood Studios could be about to relocate to the Far East after South Bucks District Council (SBDC) refused its bid to expand its site.
The company has signed a deal with the Malaysian government to develop a massive studio complex in Iskander, near to Singapore.
In November last year, SBDC refused Pinewood's highly controversial Project Pinewood plan to expand their site onto green belt land and to build a number of permanent film sets there.
This has led to concerns that the studio could now look abroad for the development, and following the recent news that Cadbury's has been bought by a US company, there are now fears that another British industry could by lost.
Labour MP Gisela Stuart is set to ask Lord Mandelson, the business secretary, to look into the case and see if the plans would damage Britain's national interests.
The studios, which are based in Pinewood Road, Iver Heath, have a long history in the area, and are home to the hugely successful James Bond fracnhise.
At the end of last year, the company signed a deal to develop a Malaysian site called Pinewood Iskander Malaysia Sudios, which would encompass 100,000 square feet of film sets and create around 8,000 jobs.
Building of the site is due to finish in 2012.
Mrs Stuart, who is an MP in the Birmingham area, said that the project is "very disturbing", as she had previously supported a campaign to bring the Project Pinewood plan to the derelict Longbridge site in the Midlands.
She said: "After what happened to Cadbury's we must act to protect British companies and keep them in Britain."
However, Pinewood's corporate director Andrew Smith played down the concerns.
He said: "Film making in the UK remains highly attractive."
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I suppose that as usual most of the complaints are from stuffed shirts who have only been in the area for a short time.
Unlike those who hve grown up,or even worked and evolved with Pinewood over a lifetime.