Isle of Wight film studio plan still progressing, council insists

The film studio would be constructed on the banks of the Medina River

Plans for a new film and television studio on the Isle of Wight are still live a year after they were announced, the council has insisted.

Medina Studios Ltd unveiled proposals to construct the complex on the banks of the Medina River, East Cowes, in November 2022.

The council said designs were being worked up but no planning application has yet been put forward.

It said the US writers' strike had affected demand for UK studio space.

Medina Studios Ltd said last year the facility would have four sound stages totalling 70,000 sq ft (21,336 sq m) and be the island's "first screen-based media hub".

Production workshops, offices and other related facilities could also be built, creating nearly 1,000 jobs.

It added it would benefit from "copious amounts of filming locations on its doorstep" on the island.

The site of the former Kingston Marine Park has been vacant for more than 10 years

The council said it was still progressing with the sale of land, at what is currently known as Kingston Marine Park, to Medina Studios and the delivery of the project was "a key priority".

The US writers' strike caused Hollywood to shut down for five months from May and also affected UK studio activity, the council said.

The industry is expected to finish existing projects before starting new ones next year and will then need space to make them, it said, adding it wants to finalise, complete and deliver the sale ahead of a "race for space" in 2024.

The site, which has been vacant for more than 10 years, had been earmarked for the marine manufacturing industry but environmental regulations limited what could happen there, which ultimately meant marine use was discounted.