As we posted back in January, Warner Brothers purchased Leavesden studios and planned to revamp and open part of the studio up to the public.  Their request to do so has now been approved and will open some time in 2012!

Warner Brothers, which has brought world-wide fame to the former aerodrome complex with its Harry Potter franchise, can now begin a programme of redevelopment worth an estimated £100million – creating hundreds of jobs and providing a boost to the local economy. The company, which will now purchase the site outright and use it as its European filming base, will build new film stages, production and administration facilities. It will also open a Harry Potter themed visitor attraction to cater for up to 5,000 visitors a day.

Three Rivers District Council’s development control committee finally approved the plans this evening, after ironing out most of the numerous queries and objections raised by local residents and councillors. These concerns, most of which were raised at a similar meeting last month, included the potential impacts of increased traffic congestion, noise and light pollution.

Many residents also expressed alarm at the size and scale of the visitor attraction, which will offer tours of old Harry Potter film sets when production on the franchise comes to a conclusion later in the year. Councillor Stephen Giles-Medhurst, who has represented residents’ concerns throughout the planning process, stressed the need for further road improvements before the site opens in 2012 but expressed his support for the scheme.