First structures emerge from Shinfield Studios development

Published by

Sam Pither

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

Situated within 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.

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 £650m, making it among the largest in the UK and a rival to the major Maidstone Studios in Kent.

Sam Pither

Sam is the Regional Editor of Biz News, responsible for both Hampshire and Dorset. A new recruit to journalism, Sam started writing for the Business Magazine as a freelancer in May of 2022 after completing his degree in English at University College London. His passion for local businesses and ability to tell a story soon caught the attention of the publication’s management team and have led to his meteoric rise. Sam, who lives in central Reading, takes a particular interest in technology, gaming and food and drink, having been a chef before starting his degree.