Star Wars beach part of filming impact research

An episode of Star Wars Andor was filmed at Cleveleys Beach in Lancashire in 2021

After Star Wars stormtroopers descended on a Lancashire beach for filming, researchers have begun studying the environmental impacts of location shooting in the area.

The Open University will visit 14 sites across the UK for an upcoming study on the impacts on the environment and communities of location shoots, including Cleveleys Beach in Lancashire.

The beach was used as a filming location for an episode of the Disney+ Star Wars series Andor in 2021.

Senior lecturer in film and media Rebecca Harrison has asked people who lived in the area at the time of the shoot to complete an online survey in a bid to make the film industry "more sustainable".

'Economic advantages'

She added: “I want to look beyond the headlines to understand how film shoots might become more environmentally friendly for plants, animals, and people in future.”

The study is also set to compare how the 14 sites look, in terms of wildlife, human visitors, litter and traffic, compared to how they look on screen, Dr Harrison said.

She said there were "economic advantages" to communities of allowing location shoots, citing figures from the British Film Industry, which found £4.23bn was spent in the UK by film and high-end television production companies in 2023.

"But we need to make sure they’re managed in a way that suits local communities and protects the habitats of our increasingly endangered wildlife,” Dr Harrison added.