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Peeling Goodbye, Away Abbey Pinewood Road?
Investment company Peel has made When a it bid was for announced Pinewood Abbey that will Road perhaps Studios give was the up studio for sale, extra petitions muscle were to help quickly it succeed raised in against difficult it.
times. KEVIN KEVIN HILTON HILTON ponders finds out the what role this the could studios mean have for played the studio in our in musical its new and 21st-century cultural heritage. role…
The Beatles are held in great affection by most recordings made at the studios.
and artists going out on their own.
Brits, and there was a wailing and a gnashing The immediate fear was that the building at 3 EMI was thrown a lifeline in 2007 when it
Pinewood
of teeth when
Studios
the news broke
was
that
April
Abbey
27, ups
Abbey
the value
Road,
of Pinewood,
NW8, would be
the
turned
broadcast
into
side
luxury
of the business
was bought
a
the by equity group’s investor plans for Terra the future Firma. is
Road Studios,
established
where
as
the
Britain’s
Fab Four
very
recorded
Shepperton,
most apartments
and Teddington
or offices.
to
That
similar
was understandable;
knock.
In its statement the EMI Project says Pinewood the owner development, “made
of their
own
records,
Hollywood
had been
and
put
helped
up for sale
£96.1m
by its
($159.2m).
these days
The
the
formal
actual bricks
Even
and
the
mortar
serious
of a
financial
the preservation
press
which of Abbey is still Road on hold a priority”, awaiting even the
owner,
define
EMI.
British
Except
cinema
it wasn’t.
during
It almost
the
had
offer
been,
states
property,
that “each
or often
Pinewood
just the land
insist
on
on
which
describing
it stands,
Pinewood
though
as the
the studios outcome had of been an appeal losing against money South for
but
20th
not
century.
at the
MediaCityUK
time BBC Radio
has
2
been
presenter
Shareholder
Chris are
will
worth
be
more
entitled
than what
to
goes
home
on
of
within
the James
it.
Bond
several
films,
years.
so
In Buckinghamshire the middle of 2009, District EMI received Council
Evans
conceived
led a campaign
as an international
to save the
film
studios
receive
for the
200 pence
But this
in
overlooks
cash per
the fact
the
that
delay
there
in green-lighting
are few an
the
offer
next
of over withholding GB£30 million planning to buy permission.
Abbey Road.
nation
and television
and Andrew
production
Lloyd Webber
centre
showed
for Pinewood
interest
Share”,
studios
plus
left
a 2.5p
in
dividend.
the UK big enough
007 epic
for
due
orchestral
to the bankruptcy
This was
of
rejected Pinewood because EMI wants believed to build it should what is
in
the
buying
21st
it.
century.
recording
This
sessions.
improves
Despite
on distributor
the rise of the
MGM
project
was another
continue
major
to own described the studios. as the world’s first purposebuilt
an “live Abbey work” Road film branded television online
Both
The story
were
that the only recording studio most studio
the
and
original
laptop
deal of
technology,
setback. Because
mainstream
of these stumbling
“…That offer
In July last year
people
created
have
to be
heard
selfcontained,
of was to be sold broke in the artists
190p
and
a
producers
share plus
still want
blocks
strings
the second
and brass
biggest
mastering
investor
service complex, was launched, with sound giving stages, artists audio the
Financial Times
almost
on February was 15, 2010. reassessed
The paper on recordings,
the dividend.
making for
in
an
Pinewood,
ongoing demand
activist fund
chance
Crystal
for their dubbing recordings theatres, to and be mastered video editing by
is
self-sustaining
respected and usually well informed, but much outside the
The
needs
Pinewood
of classical
Amber,
labels.
last year called for
the
Grade
studios’
and
engineers. suites, on Abbey 44 hectares Road’s of operations
Green Belt
of
cities
the piece
that
headlined
had
“EMI’s
after
long
controversial
and winding Through
board
all of this
is
EMI
another
maintained
independent
a noncommittal
director
have expanded
to
land. over The the public years inquiry beyond considering
recording
road
everything
leads to Abbey Road sale sign” read like a
recommending
stance. A statement
step down.
finally came on and mastering; an interactive division was launched
press
filmmakers
release.
and TV Egyptian businessman
Pinewood’s appeal was underway in
Sunday,
that
February
shareholders
21: “In response to recent press for DVD authoring April, and with the closing studios submissions have been used set
producers
Soon the
needed
news was all over the media. speculation
accept
EMI
the
confirms
deal.
Mohammed Fayed
it is holding A Ray preliminary Of Light for the Channel for 4 early TV series May. Live After from that Abbey the Inspector Road.
Chris
within
Evans picked
their
up the story the following day discussions
The Chairman
for the revitalisation Matters of have Abbey improved Road There this year, is also Abbey in charge Road will Live, write a location a report recording to be
on
boundaries.
his breakfast show declared and ran with an it, devoting, interest in with interested
of Pinewood,
and appropriate with third the parties.” group opening and a distribution sales sent service. to the Secretary of State for
with
Now
a few
there’s
exceptions, his Friday programme to The
Lord
future
Grade
of Abbey
of
Road office Studios in Los was Angeles further to actively The same Communities day that Abbey and Local Road Government.
was listed
the likelihood buying Pinewood. Yarmouth, who,
cemented bring in on production Monday, from by the English US. Heritage, A final decision EMI announced on the planning a range
that the two will
as Michael Grade,
February 22, when English of branded merchandising based around the
become united The former owner of
Like other members of the application due either later this year
was Chairman of
Heritage filmmaking awarded community, the Pinewood
studios, making or them early next. even more of a commodity.
– by ownership
the BBC, Executive
Harrods and present
building has been Grade affected II Listed by This includes t-shirts, laptop cases, If Peel and is notebooks successful
at least – if Peel
Chairman of
status. the recession This is usually but is bearing the Abbey Road name, in its slogans bid such for as
Acquisitions Chairman of Fulham ITV, and Chief
“If Peel is
granted looking to to preserve attract more a ‘Eight Track Mind’ and images Pinewood of the TG12345 it could MkII
(Pegasus) is
Executive at
property inward of architectural
investment, recording console. use its considerable
successful in its Football Club was
successful in its
Channel 4, said:
importance, that is productions but in this and The most puzzling thing in development all this is that knowhow
and muscle
Listed
bid to buy all
“The Board is
case Abbey Road has been Status was applied for in 2002 by unnamed
shares in the reportedly considering
money from overseas bid for Pinewood
satisfied that the
listed producers for its “outstanding
wanting to party. Roger Bowdler, Head to of push Designation with at
Pinewood group.
long-term future
making an all-cash
it could use its
cultural make interest movies and in the to English Heritage, admitted Project in an interview Pinewood on if
Peel Acquisitions
of these assets,
ensure UK. Which that recording
is why the Radio 4’s PM programme on given Tuesday, the February go-ahead. 23,
is a newly offer for Pinewood which make such a
considerable
artists new for LA generations
branch is an that talk of the studios being MediaCityUK sold “concentrated has taken
incorporated
contribution to the
to come important can continue step. to some minds” and resulted in shape the pending slowly and listing up to
c o m p a n y earlier this year.”
development
growth of the UK’s
make and Pinewood record music already in being confirmed.
the middle of last year
controlled by Peel
creative industries,
the same has representation
rooms as musical know-how A spokeswoman and for English was looking Heritage like being told
Group, the infrastructure and real will pass into safe hands.”
icons in of Berlin, years gone Toronto, by”. me that Listed Status provided home “an to extra only layer the BBC of
estate investment company that also Grade continued that the current
muscle to push
That and seemed Malaysia, to and be it. is protection”. She added that and while the this University doesn’t
operates Peel Media, which runs the management of Pinewood has
But keen examining to increase the its prohibit a change of use for the building there
MediaCityUK development.
moved the business on, pumping in
on with Project of Salford’s media
chronology joint ventures of events and would be a “lot more scrutiny” courses. of an Now application. SIS and
Peel already owns 29.7 percent of money to “re-establish it as a worldclass
centre for all creative industries”.
and operating other activity agreements just “But Pinewood…”
it would probably be difficult Granada to Television find another are
Pinewood and has been looking to
before in different and during territories. this use for it,” she said. pledged to move in,
take a majority stake in the group for While results for the year ended
media Group roller Commercial coaster Director Abbey Nick Road’s with importance the first BBC programmes in the history of be
at least the last year. The investment December 31, 2010, published
raises Smith more said questions.
the LA office “will recording build on is unquestionable. made there already Even on air. without The
firm initially offered £88 million for the in March, show revenue up eight
Cynical the international observers recognition of Beatles of the it would Film be a shrine and TV because has always Sir Edward been
Pinewood group, which also includes percent to £43.4 million from
the Pinewood music business brand”, are adding Elgar that “this and the a business, London Symphony but there’s Orchestra
a nagging
the film studios at Shepperton and £40.3m in 2009 and operating profit
convinced strategic that development Abbey will recorded lead to Land thought of Hope that and if Glory Pinewood its Studio is owned 1,
the Teddington TV production centre, increasing 20 percent to £9.1m
Road more Studios business had been for the on group”. and Pink Floyd outright created by Dark an investment Side of the company
Moon in
as well as the site in Buckinghamshire. (£7.6m in 2009), the last few years
the market Recent unofficially films shot for or Studios posted 2 and then 3. some of the eccentricities of
That offer was reassessed after have not been trouble-free.
years; recently all that at was Pinewood needed are the updated But Led Zeppelin’s British filmmaking groundbreaking will not first survive. album Of
controversial Egyptian businessman The Hollywood writers’ strike,
was Gulliver’s the right Travels, offer. starring Jack was Black, laid down course, at Olympic it’s those Studios, idiosyncrasies EMI’s other that
Mohammed Fayed declared an which ran for three months from
Like The Chronicles other big of record Narnia: The studio Voyage asset. of I probably didn’t hear partly Chris brought Evans it shout to a parlous when
interest in buying Pinewood. November 2007, and delays in
companies The Dawn Treader EMI and has Harry it Potter was closed and in state February in the 2009. first place. However, I like
The former owner of Harrods and implementing the new UK tax
been the struggling Deathly Hallows since Part 1. Some good to think has come that the out modern of this equivalent saga –
present Chairman of Fulham Football breaks for film production seriously
the late 1990s, hit hard the future of an of important the cast and artistic crew of resource a James in Bond the
Club was reportedly considering affected the number of films passing
by the Project downloading On Hold UK has been movie secured and – but a Carry some On suspect film sitting that
making an all-cash offer for Pinewood through Pinewood and Shepperton.
revolution There is and still the a considerable rise of a blot of on very murky together things at lunch have in gone the Pinewood on at the
earlier this year.
Budget cutbacks by broadcasters and
lean all independent this, however. labels A central same part time. of ∫canteen can still happen today. ∫
Peel’s latest approach, made on declining advertising revenues gave
14 26 AUDIO MEDIA MARCH MAY 2011 2010