Gillette Building Film Studios Set for Approval

Planners recommend green light for state-of-the art production facilities


A CGI of the of the proposed development viewed from Great West Road. Picture: Gensler

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February 28, 2025

A major expansion of the film studios next to the Gillette Building looks likely to get the go ahead after council planners recommended approval.

The application (P/2024/2843 & P/2024/2755) is now scheduled to be considered by the borough’s planning committee on 17 March.

Despite the scale of the application, there appears to have been relatively few objections and the expectation is that it will be voted through by councillors.

The Vinyl Factory, the site's owner since 2013, has outlined plans to transform the 4.4-hectare area into a state-of-the-art film production campus.

The proposal is to demolish the Old Mould shop, Caxton Building Vanmatic Building, rear/north wing of Campbells Building and associated outbuildings as well as refurbishing and extending the Grade II listed Gillette Building and NatWest buildings and other structures in the area.

In addition, new buildings will be constructed as studios virtual production, film and digital content creation, comprising sound stages, offices and workshops and existing film studios will be upgraded with a new café added.


A visualisation of the entrance to the planned new studio complex. Picture: Gensler

The development aims to address the increasing demand for high-quality virtual production and digital content creation spaces. The applicant claims that the development could provide 2,000 jobs at the site with a further 2,000 jobs supported in the local supply chain.

Films produced at the site include Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Fox) – 2015, Allied (Paramount Pictures) – 2016, Bohemian Rhapsody (Fox) – 2018, Infinite (Paramount Pictures) – 2020 and All the Old Knives (Amazon) – 2021.

A CGI of the aerial view of the proposed development
A CGI of the aerial view of the proposed development. Picture: Gensler

The iconic building at the junction of the Great West Road and Syon Lane operated as a factory for Gillette until 2006 when the company moved production to Poland.

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