Fears are growing that Ealing Studios may be sold for business, retail, or housing development, ending film making at the site since the 1920s. Fears are growing that Ealing Studios may be sold for business, retail, or housing development, ending film making at the site since the 1920s.
Ealing Films renowned worldwide Ealing Comedies were produced at the studios by Sir Michael Balcon during the 40s and early 50s. The studios were bought by the BBC during the mid 50s and became headquarters for their Film Unit.
In 1995 the studios were purchased by the National Film & Television School (NFTS) for 2.6 million with the intention of shifting their Beaconsfield activity to a more central site in the capital city. However, soon after, the powers that be decided in their wisdom, that the 3.8 acre site and studios would cost too much to convert into a film school, abandoning the project in favour of refurbishing and reequipping the Beaconsfield studios with money obtained from the National Lottery.
Ealing Studios were let out to independent production companies but now the NFTS has decided to sell and the studios are again on the market with a question mark hanging over their future.
Fuller Peiser, the NFTS planning consultants consider that the studios will not be easy to sell as studios to film and TV companies and can't rule out the possibilities of other uses.
The area is earmarked by Ealing Council's Unity Development Plan for local employment and light industrial use. A council spokeswoman said the Planning Office had been told that the site would be marketed as a film studio and that the Council was keen to see Ealing's history of film and TV production continue.
Ealing Studios is also included in the Ealing Green Conservation Area. The art deco White House building that fronts the site is considered to be of architectural importance although neither it nor the studio is listed. An Ealing Green resident considers that the vendors are looking for get-outs to obtain maximum revenue for the site as real estate, and says that Ealing Green residents would like to see the site continue as film or TV studios.
However, there must be many covetous eyes of greedy developers eager to get their hands on this highly desirable site for development other than film and TV studios. Money and time will tell.
BOB ALLEN
(based on report in Ealing & Acton Gazette, 9/3/99)