Hertsmere Borough Council made a landmark decision to secure the future of one of the UK’s most celebrated creative sites.
Planning approval was granted in September to redevelop part of the former BBC Elstree Studios – home to EastEnders for the past 40 years – into Fairbanks Studios, a world-class film and television campus designed to serve the industry for the next century.
Originally built in 1914 and steeped in cinematic history, part of the Elstree site will now be transformed through major investment by AXA IM Alts and Oxygen Studios, whilst part will continue to be used as the EastEnders set.
The redevelopment will more than quadruple production space, creating a media campus with cutting-edge facilities.
The design celebrates Elstree’s art deco heritage while setting new standards for 21st-century screen production, with expansive sound stages, new workshops, offices, a five-storey ‘media hub’, backlot, café, and upgraded cycle and parking facilities.
Once complete, Fairbanks Studios will stand proudly alongside Elstree Film Studios and Sky Studios Elstree, cementing Hertsmere’s status as a powerhouse of UK film and television.
Councillor Jeremy Newmark, Leader of Hertsmere Borough Council and Chair of Elstree Film Studios, said: “I’m thrilled that we’ve given Fairbanks Studios the green light.
“This latest investment in Hertsmere’s film and TV sector is fantastic news for the area. It’ll give a new lease of life to this iconic site that has been at the heart of our national television industry for over a century.
“It represents an important boost to our local economy and will further strengthen Hertsmere’s significant role at the heart of the creative industries strand of the UK’s modern industrial strategy and the government’s national growth mission.”
Fairbanks Studios will help ensure that Hertsmere’s creative industries remain at the centre of Britain’s cultural economy for generations to come.
The plans received broad backing from councillors at the planning committee meeting on Thursday 18 September.
For more information, visit: Agenda for Planning Committee on Thursday, 18 September 2025, 6.00 pm
Photo credit: Hertsmere Borough Council
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