Frequently Asked Questions

We are supporting the local economy by working with local suppliers across a range of categories, from signage to catering to office furniture with partnerships varying from smaller, one-off contracts to seven figure contracts of significant scale.

We are also building a local suppliers list which will include everything from taxi companies to local shops and hardware stores. This list will be shared with productions when they are working at Sky Studios Elstree to encourage further spend with local businesses.

We’ve been overwhelmed by the number of potential suppliers that have been in touch and we have already awarded multiple contracts to local companies. It’s great that there are so many incredible local businesses that are able to support our operations.

If you think your company can help in the day-to-day operations of Sky Studios Elstree and / or work with productions on site, please register your interest by filling in this form here. We’ll be in contact directly if we’d like more details to include you on the list.

For Sky Studios Elstree North, we are targeting the same high levels of local employment that we are delivering for our current site.

So far, a significant proportion of those recruited live within a five-mile radius of us and over 60% live within 10 miles. Out of the 600 construction jobs already created, 80% have also been filled locally.

Our first production on site, Wicked, has begun to recruit and we are working closely with them to ensure they focus their search for key roles with talent from Hertsmere. We’ve also hired a Talent Manager to help us identify talent for roles within our teams and they will also play a key part in ensuring local people have access to the many new jobs that will be created going forward. 

All roles in our on-site team will be advertised through our Sky Careers website or through our facilities management partner Mitie. You can search for these on their career’s website here. 

As well as enabling a further £2bn of production investment over the first 5 years of operation, we think this project can benefit the local area in a number of ways:

• Deliver new jobs and opportunities. This expansion will create another 2,000 jobs across construction, site operations and productions using the site. We want as many of these as possible to be recruited locally. We’ve already put a lot of focus into nurturing the next generation of film makers and employing young talent, and this next stage of our growth will be no different. 
• Championing local businesses. We’re already working with suppliers across Hertsmere from smaller one-off contracts to partnerships of significant scale. We’re now in the process of building a local list of suppliers that productions can use when on site. We are also proud to be patrons of the Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce where we have held multiple ‘Meet the supplier’ events which have led to the fruitful partnerships we have today.
• A dedicated Sky Up Academy Studios at Elstree. This will build on the success we’ve had with our Academy programme elsewhere in the UK. Sky Up Academy Studios at Elstree will be a real-life, working studio that gives students a taste of life in production. Open to young people between the ages of 14 and 18, the curriculum-linked initiative will provide insight into the range of roles available in production and the skills needed to build a successful career.
• Space on-site for community initiatives. During our consultation, people were undecided on what they would like to see this space used for, with some residents suggesting an archive or museum celebrating the area’s film and TV heritage and others suggesting a café or event space to hire. We know good communication with our neighbours is key, so we have committed to setting up a new community board that will consist of representatives from different local organisations and act as an advisory board to help shape our thinking on a range of issues – one of our first priorities will be deciding on the nature of the new community space to ensure the final result truly benefits local people.
• Supporting local charities. We received some brilliant suggestions for local charities and initiatives we could support. We’ve already shared these with our Sky Cares team, who look for opportunities to make a positive impact in the areas in which we live and work. We have now successfully onboarded our first charity, Gratitude, located just a 10-minute walk from Sky Studios Elstree. We’re helping Gratitude fight hunger and food waste through donations, volunteers, a special Christmas campaign and by naming them a Sky Up Hub, meaning we will provide free public Wi-Fi to them and their beneficiaries. We’re in the process of onboarding more local charities and keen to hear more ideas from residents.

The site is managed by Legal & General, one of the UK’s leading financial services groups and a major global investor, who will develop the site. Sky would become the sole operator of the new studio once built. Legal & General worked in partnership with Sky to deliver the existing Sky Studios Elstree South site.

We have spent the past two years delivering Sky Studios Elstree, and during this time the demand for studio space has been closely monitored.

Global investment in Film and High-end Television, driven by the rise of streaming platforms and competition for viewers, is powering a significant and sustained increase in demand for premium studio facilities. The UK, and around London in particular, is considered a highly attractive place to produce Film and High-End TV, and demand for premium studio space is expected to outstrip supply by over 1 million sq. ft. by 2027.

The screen industries are one of Britain’s fastest growing sectors, but in order to fulfil their potential, there is a need for more premium studio facilities. We want to continue to attract world-leading productions to the UK and want them to be produced here, in Elstree & Borehamwood, rather than anywhere else.

You can read more about why we need to expand our facilities in our Operator Statement ‘Close Up: The Need for Expansion’.

We have already opened some of our studio and production spaces and expect to be fully operational early next year.

We believe that there is a strong ‘very special circumstances’ case for this proposed expansion into green belt which includes:

• The need for high quality studio space at national, regional and local levels. The proposals will help tackle the acute need for studio space in the UK by contributing 210,000 sq. ft of Tier 1 studio space towards the current forecast deficit of 1.4 million sq. ft by 2027, helping the UK fulfil its creative potential.
• The lack of an alternative site on which to expand and create a comprehensive film and TV production facility. There is a specific demand for this space within the Greater West London Cluster (where we are located), driven by the excellent transport links, established infrastructure and facilities, access to a skilled labour pool and proximity to suppliers and other ancillary industries around film production who have based themselves here. There is no viable alternative site that could deliver the same synergies and scale that would be achieved by expanding Sky Studios Elstree and accommodating a range of film making and production activity all in one place.
• The significant wider benefits the development will bring to the local area and nationally, including investment and job creation Southwest Hertfordshire is a region well known for its rich production heritage. We have built a fantastic home in Hertsmere and have forged deep links within the community. The expansion of Sky Studios Elstree will allow us to attract larger productions and this increase in investment in the area will further bolster the Greater West London Cluster, as well as create even more jobs and opportunities for local people.

You can read more about why we believe the proposed site is the best location to grow in our Operator Statement ‘Close Up: The Need for Expansion’ and within the Planning Statement.

We will be holding ourselves accountable to the same ambitious and sector leading sustainability targets for Sky Studios Elstree North that we committed to for our current site.

That means solar panels on every roof to generate a significant amount of energy, with everything else from a fully renewable source. We’ll use electric vehicles for our operations fleet, only use LED house lighting and harvest rainwater for use on site.  A large area to the south of site will also be dedicated to a wet grass and woodland area, which will be undisturbed by production activity.

The proposals will also look to enhance boundary hedgerows, plant mature, climate resilient new trees wherever possible, add bat and bird boxes and include a living wall on the multi-storey car park building.

The development has been designed based on sustainable design and construction principles and will be built to meet the UK Green Building Council Net Zero Carbon Standard. We will also be targeting BREEAM Excellent ratings which certifies the sustainability standard for all buildings.

As part of the planning application, we have submitted a detailed Ecology Assessment which sets out the measures we will take to maintain and enhance the ecological features of the site once the studios open.

We’ll also be making a significant payment to the Council to invest in improving biodiversity across the borough, resulting in a net gain of 10%. This payment, combined with the money already paid for Sky Studios Elstree South, will total around £1m and we are in close collaboration with the Council as they review how this is being spent across the borough.

We undertook a number of early surveys to assess the wildlife on site. These studies have shown that: 

• Some species of bats are using trees and hedgerows to forage, however, we didn’t find any evidence that the site is being used for roosting or nests.
• During the surveys we also found no evidence of Great Crested Newts, Badgers, Otters, Water Voles, reptiles, amphibians or Dormouse.
• Surveys for birds also showed that there were no protected species living on site.

We will dedicate a significant proportion of the site to a natural grassland to encourage new wildlife and habitats, add bat and bird boxes across the site and look to enhance boundary hedgerows and plant mature, climate resilient new trees wherever possible.

We will also be making a significant payment to the Council to invest in improving biodiversity across the borough, resulting in a net gain to biodiversity of 10%. This payment, combined with the money already paid for phase one, will total around £1m and we are in close collaboration with the Council as they review how this is being spent across the borough.

All our stages have best in class acoustic design to ensure noise is properly managed into and out of our stages. Additionally we are designing a number of acoustic solutions to ensure any noise levels are mitigated from the permanent backlot area.

We would also adopt a residents notification system to ensure forewarning of any filming events ahead of time, though we anticipate any filming on the backlot to be rare.

We will be working closely with the Hertsmere Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council to ensure the transport plans are squarely focused on mitigating local traffic impact. In fact, one of the benefits of expanding the studio directly next to the existing Sky Studios Elstree site is that it can reduce net production traffic on the roads and better manage getting vehicles off the public highways and into the site through different access points.

Over the past two years, we’ve implemented approximately £2.7m worth of highway improvements for the existing Sky Studios Elstree site. These improvements will also serve the needs of the expansion plans; however, we recognise that transport will remain a concern for some local people. That’s why we are proposing to go above and beyond to minimise traffic impact on local roads and improve sustainability by encouraging alternative transport options to driving.

We’ve undertaken detailed modelling which shows that the road improvements we’ve made will accommodate the additional traffic from the north site. However, it also showed that there could be increased queuing on the Newark Green roundabout, so we’re proposing a set of measures to mitigate this, including adding a third lane to the roundabout, reducing the speed limit on the A1 slip road, and introducing keep clear markings.

We’ll also be contributing towards new cycle and pedestrian routes within Borehamwood, and towards extending the cycle hire scheme from the local station to the site as well as creating a new crossing point for pedestrians and cyclists at the site access. We’ll set up a car sharing club with priority parking spaces for club members and offer season ticket loans to staff using public transport.

We’ll also be widening and improving our shuttle bus service. The free shuttle bus service to Elstree and Borehamwood station will be more frequent and will be available to members of the public during certain times of the day with the potential to add more stops based on resident demand. We’re also proposing adding a free shuttle bus service for staff, crew and visitors travelling from Potters Bar Station and Stanmore Station.

The temporary backlot application was to meet an immediate need for backlot space for productions using the 13 sound stages currently under construction.

If the planning application for Sky Studios Elstree North is successful, we don’t anticipate building work to start for a while. This means that our temporary backlot application of three years will be vital in order to serve the needs of productions currently using the existing 13 sound stages.

We have now submitted a planning application for Sky Studios Elstree North to Hertsmere Borough Council. You can view and comment on the proposals by visiting the Council’s planning portal and searching for the application using reference: 22/1526/FULEI

If you have any questions, you can still get in touch with us by:

• Emailing us at info@skystudioselstreenorth.co.uk
• Calling us on 0800 096 6139

As part of the planning application, we have carefully considered any potential impact on local services such as GPs through a Health Impact Assessment, you can view this on the planning portal using reference number 22/1526/FULEI

This assessment showed that the proposals would not cause any adverse impact on the accessibility and quality of healthcare services in the local area.

Through the design we have sought to retain as many trees as possible, and while it won’t be possible to keep all of them, we will be boosting tree coverage on the site by planting over 120 new native and non-native and climate resilient tree species across the site.

We have also been working closely with ecologists and researching how to optimise the site for native species and enhance biodiversity wherever possible. Measures that will be put in place include implementing a sensitive lighting scheme, enhancing boundary vegetation and providing bat and bird boxes.  

Neither Sky Studios nor Legal & General own any more land within this area and we have no plans to extend the studio beyond the current proposal being brought forward.

We have reached an agreement with developer Panattoni Park to lease some of their warehouse and office space to complement our current 13 sound stages. This space will be able to supplement the workshops we already have on site and be used for ‘behind the scenes’ work including creating props and special effects.

The warehouses are not suitable for filming for a variety of reasons including floor space, structure and acoustic quality and so are not a substitute for our proposed expansion. However, the additional space will allow us to attract larger, tentpole productions from across the globe to Elstree & Borehamwood.