- Financial Struggles: Elstree Studios Requires £150 Million to Safeguard Future
- Dangerous Conditions: Stage Canopies and Asbestos Issues Raise Concerns
- Funding Challenges: Council and Studio Lack Resources for Necessary Work
According to a council report, the crumbling studios where Star Wars and The Crown were filmed require at least £150 million to safeguard their future.
Hertsmere Borough Council, which owns Elstree Studios, deemed certain stage canopies “dangerous.”
It was stated that the funds are required to replace “life-expired buildings” in which asbestos has also been found.
However, the report also asserted that the council “cannot afford to continually invest” in the Borehamwood film complex.
Since its construction in the early 1900s, Elstree Studios has been the site of the production of numerous iconic films, including Alfred Hitchcock’s “Blackmail” and Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones” trilogy.
George Lucas directed sequences from the original Star Wars films in Elstree during the 1970s.
According to the report, its infrastructure is “at least 100 years old and has outlived its usefulness.”
It is stated that the walls are not anticipated to last beyond 10 to 15 years.
During asbestos removal, their contractor discovered that the roofs of stages 7, 8, and 9 “were in a dangerous condition.”
The report questioned the “feasibility of proceeding with this project” and questioned whether it would be preferable to “completely demolish the stages.”
Hertsmere Borough Council purchased the studios from Brent Walker in 1996 when they were in a “very dilapidated condition.”
The site has earned £28 million for the government and is worth between £40 million and £100 million. It cost £22 million to build.
According to the report, “both Elstree Studios and the Council lack the necessary funds to finance additional work streams.”
The new Labour and Liberal Democrat leaders in Hertsmere, who took over from the Conservatives in the May elections, propose spending £90,000 on consulting fees to develop a “way forward.”
