At the Central Bedfordshire Development Management Committee (DMC) meeting on the 23rd August, planning approval was granted for the plans at our Quest Pit site. We are therefore entering the next phase of the development process for HOP Bedfordshire.
Over the course of the meeting the DMC debated a series of topics related to the project, with particular areas of emphasis being around environmental betterment, employment opportunities, and the potential for the new studio to drive educational and vocational programmes for Central Bedfordshire. The HOP team attended the session, and were pleased to be able to take the opportunity to offer up information on many topics, indicating the considerable and thoughtful work carried out to plan and quantify the real benefits that the new studio can offer - Both during construction, and into operation. These will include:
- Powered by 100% renewable energy, with at least half of this generated on-site
- A large-scale initiative built for the long term, creating up to 3,800 jobs
- Locally-integrated operations, generating additional community revenue of £242m per year
The decision represents the successful outcome of nearly two years’ of hard work by Quartermaster, VERB and our partners in planning delivery. The entire team are hugely excited to move onto the next steps in fulfilling the vision for HOP, and bringing to life our plans to offer an unrivalled working experience for film and television production.