McLaren appointed by BNPP AM Alts as main contractor at Fairbanks Studios development

McLaren Construction has been appointed by BNP Paribas Asset Management Alts (BNPP AM Alts) as main contractor for the redevelopment of the former BBC Elstree Centre, which has been rebranded as Fairbanks Studios to reflect its ownership in the 1950s by Hollywood legend Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

With planning consent secured in December 2025 and enabling and demolition works now complete, main build const

Around half ofthe 16-acre site is to be transformed into a 266,000 sq ft state-of-the-art campus for the high-end TV and independent film industry, which will be operational late in 2027. The remainder of the site was recently upgraded by the BBC, which occupies the space under a long-term lease and is where it films its flagship drama EastEnders, one of the UK’s longest running soap operas. The historic campus first opened as a film studio in 1914.

The brownfield redevelopment will enable the studio complex to remain commercially competitive by significantly expanding the site’s production capacity, more than quadrupling the stage space to approximately 100,000 sq ft across five state-of-the-art sound stages, ranging in size from 16,000 to 21,000 sq ft. The expansion will add new workshops, offices and a café, alongside the 58,000 sq ft Media Hub offering office and amenity spaces exclusively to media-related industries and businesses directly connected to the studios.

Fairbanks Studios is targeting Outstanding ratings from BREEAM and from the Albert Studio Sustainability Standard, the world’s first environmental impact assessment for film studios. The development will also include new landscaped open spaces and urban greening with around 130 new trees.

The transformation will generate significant socio economic benefits and local employment opportunities in the media sector, creating around 390 jobs during the construction phase and over 1,200 full-time equivalent jobs when the project is completed, contributing around £80 million of annual inward investment.

Paul Serkis, director of studio projects at McLaren Construction, comments, “Film and high-end TV production is one of the success stories of the UK economy and there is a real and pressing demand for high quality production space here. Approved schemes in the right locations need to come out of the ground quickly to meet that demandand take full advantage of the sector’s growth potential. We are delighted tobe working with BNPP AM Alts and Oxygen Studios to deliver Fairbanks Studios.”

McLaren’s supplychain includes:

• HarringtonsBuilders – groundworks
• Aarsleff – piling
• SCWS– steelwork
• Halsall– MEP
• NorthernCladding – cladding