MG Rover factory could be used as film studios for Pinewood expansion

Tinseltown site Pinewood Studios may set up in Birmingham's Longbridge car plant under plans being consider by the film maker to expand their studios onto green belt land in Buckinghamshire fell through - reports the Telegraph.

MG Rover's plant halted production lines earlier this month, with bosses at the struggling car firm confirming production will not start again until the Spring.

The unused South Birmingham factory has now been earmarked as a replacement site for Pinewood, who have produced the Dark Knight and James Bond's Quantum of Solace in recent years.

South Buckinghamshire Council have rejected Pinewood Shepperton's plans for a 100-acre site on green belt land in the county.

The film firm's £200m 'Project Pinewood' site would include nearly 1,500 homes, a school, a theatre, cinema and sport facilities.

Film experts claim Rover's Longbridge site turn the West Midlands into 'the new Hollywood'.

Jonathan Stuart-Brown, from the pressure group Save The British Film Industry, said: "The proposed 100 acre major state-of-the-art bold brilliant Pinewood Studios expansion can be done much bigger, much better and with sounder finances in The West Midlands.

"Pinewood can build their sets, theme parks, trade on big scale tourism, be close to The Shakespeare tourist industry in Stratford-on-Avon and if need be assisted by West Midland regeneration finance.

"Longbridge itself is plenty big enough to house the whole thing but there are dozens of places across the region where we could have the studios."

MG Rover's Chinese owners Shanghai Automotive stopped production at Longbridge earlier this month, leaving the site a virtual ghost plant.

The firm's MG TF sports car will not be produced again until the Spring, and the previously 6,000-strong workforce has been reduced to just 300.

The campaign for Longbridge to house Hollywood studios has even been backed by Birmingham politicians.

Birmingham Northfield MP Richard Burden, said: "The creative industries is an area in the regional economic strategy that we feel the West Midlands can excel at.

"There are not many places big enough to do this but Longbridge is available. Everyone has heard of it so people would know where the site was.

"It would have to be looked into, but in principle it is very interesting."

Gisela Stuart, Labour MP for Edgbaston, added: "I think it would be a fantastic idea to have a huge new film set in the city.

"It would create jobs, and be good for the creative industries here.

"Such a project would also get people from all over the world to come here and they'd see for themselves just how much Birmingham has to offer."

Discuss this news here...