Wycombe Film Studios is planning to build a data center on-site near High Wycombe, UK.
First reported by the Bucks Free Press, the company plans to build at least one data center on land near the Buckinghamshire studios, citing "substantial market demand" for data center developments and "uncertain market conditions for new studio space" as motivating factors.
Stage Fifty, the company previously behind Wycombe Film Studios, had been looking to develop an eight-stage film studio on land south of the Wycombe Air Park since 2022, gaining planning permission in March 2023.
However, Stage Fifty collapsed in April 2024, partially accelerated by cash flow problems at its nearby Winnersh Studios which went into administration.
The project has since been taken over by a new entity (conveniently dubbed Wycombe Film Studios) under the parent company SCIO Capital.
It is unclear if the data centers would be exclusively used for the studio's operations, or if they could be leased out as another source of income. DCD has contacted the company for clarification.
Some of the market uncertainty seems likely driven by the recently announced planned closure of Pinewood Studios' TV production unit. However, the UK government announced new tax incentives for the film industry earlier this month, offering film products with costs up to £15 million a tax relief of 53 percent which is hoped to give the industry a boost.
The company distributed leaflets to locals, stating that it would "seek the views of local residents and businesses” before formally submitting the data center application."
The UK Labour government has shown favorable attitudes towards data centers since coming into power in July 2024. Notably, it has designated data centers as Critical National Infrastructure and has declared the intention to encourage more data center developments across the country by relaxing planning restrictions in certain areas.
