First structures emerge at Shinfield Studios development in Reading

Published by

Nicky Godding

The first steel frameworks of the next phase in the Shinfield Studios development in Reading have been assembled by contractors Curo Construction.

Located in the University of Reading’s Thames Valley Science Park, once completed the media hub will consist of 18 sound stages across the 85,000 square metre site. As of March 2022, when full planning permission was granted and the second stage of the development began, 4 of these sound stages were operational.

https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/hollywood-comes-to-reading-as-uni-ties-up-with-film-studios-investor/

In a statement released back then, Nick Smith and Ian Johnson, Joint Managing Directors of Shinfield Studios said “We are now well on our way to creating a world-leading media hub in the heart of Berkshire. The encouragement from Wokingham Borough Council, the University and the local community has been fantastic. We would like to thank all our partners who have supported our progress so far.”

Although the work is not predicted to be fully finished until the end of 2024/beginning of 2025, the studios are expected to manage a major Disney production in late 2022.

The Shinfield development is the largest of a number of new film studios in the Thames Valley, the concentration of which has seen the region dubbed the ‘The Cine Valley’. The most recently opened studio in the region was in Winnersh, a venture which production company Stage Fifty claims could boost the UK economy by up to £50m.

In comparison, Shinfield Studios are expected the boost the economy by up to £650 million, making it among the largest in the UK.

https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/plans-for-new-wycombe-film-studios-will-boost-the-regions-economy-and-create-new-jobs/

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.