Ashford Studios in Co Wicklow has failed in its bid to double the size of its current film premises.
This follows Wicklow County Council refusing plans by Ashford Studios to put in place an additional five film studios as part of phase three of the overall development plan for the studios at Kellystown.
A spokesman for Ashford Studios said: “We are surprised and disappointed at the council decision.”
Currently, season three of one of Netflix’s most successful shows, Wednesday, is filming at the studios along with Viking drama Blood Axe, which is to be shown on Prime Video.
RM Block
Season one of Wednesday is Netflix’s most watched show ever while season two – primarily shot at Ashford Studios – is ranked fifth.
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In the past, Ashford Studios has hosted global TV hits Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla and the planning application for the studios showed they would have ranged in height from four to five storeys.
In a letter lodged with the application, architect for the applicants Rachel Tiong told the council phase three “will extend the studio’s capacity to host multiple simultaneous productions, eliminating the ‘valley periods’ of limited activity that characterised phase-one operations and delivering a more sustainable, year-round programme of production activity”.
Tiong, of McCauley Daye O’Connell (MDO) Architects, said “the economic benefits of phase three are clear and well-evidenced. Ashford Studios is one of the most significant private employers in County Wicklow in the screen sector, with approximately 450 people directly employed during large productions, and a substantial multiplier effect on the local economy of Ashford and the surrounding area.”
No objection was lodged against the proposals but the council refused permission on a number of grounds.
It stated that the proposed development would materially contravene the objectives of the County Development Plan 2022-2028 resulting in large-scale employment development on rural lands and would set a precedent for further unsustainable encroachment into the rural area.
The council also found the development would materially contravene the employment zoning objective of the development plan as it would lead to the leapfrogging of existing zoned lands and would not provide for a cohesive/comprehensive approach to the overall development of the zoned lands.
In addition, the council said the proposed development would result in a serious traffic hazard, would impact negatively on the rural landscape and on biodiversity, would seriously injure the amenities and depreciate the value of properties in the vicinity.
