Councillors will not give permission for the building of a film set in Windsor to shoot hit Netflix series Bridgerton.
Bridgerton first aired last Christmas and immediately met with positive reviews. The television program, inspired by Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, is Netflix’s most watched show. It follows the siblings of the Bridgerton family as they search for love and happiness in London’s high society. Filming recently began on the second series, and due to its high popularity, is already commissioned for a further two seasons. There are also plans for a prequel in the pipeline.
Producers of the period drama want to create a set on Crown Estate land in Sunninghill Park. However, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council rejected the proposal as “inappropriate development of the green belt”.
The set would involve scaffolding with fronts to create a London Regency square, and setting up a carpark and temporary structures for wardrobe and dining. Filming would take place in the summer over a period of five years.
Despite royal approval, planning officers recommended refusal as it was near to ancient woodland. Councillors said it would cause “harm to the rural character of the area”, and information was “insufficient” to ensure there would be no adverse affect on protected species.
Approval from the Queen’
Those against the filming say the set would be “demonstrably out of character with the area” and be an “encroachment into the countryside”.
Meanwhile, councillors in favour of it argue that the application had “approval from Her Majesty”, and there is no way they would go ahead without that. It would also benefit the borough’s local shops and hotels. It would bring increased footfall to the area from the film crew, actors and their teams.
The leader of the council also agreed that “the clear economic benefits of this application more than outweigh any short term potential harm to the greenbelt.”
However, the end result saw councillors vote 7-2 in support of recommendations for refusal.
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