The former London 2012 Olympic delivery chair and the developer behind Wembley Park will lead the £1bn Little Marlow film studios into its next phase.
The company behind the film studios planned at Little Marlow has a new chair and a new chief executive. Sir John Armitt, who chaired the body that built the London 2012 Olympic venues, becomes chair. Max James, who led the Wembley Park and Greenwich Peninsula developments, becomes chief executive.
The board of Marlow Studios Limited announced both appointments on its own website on Monday 28 September. It said the pair would “take the project to the next phase of implementation”.
The studios are planned on former gravel workings and landfill beside the A404 at Little Marlow, about five miles south of High Wycombe town centre. The government granted planning permission in November 2025, after Buckinghamshire Council had refused it.
Who the new leaders are
The studio’s leadership page now lists Sir John as chair and Mr James as CEO. It gives this background for each.
Sir John Armitt CBE, chair:
- chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority for London 2012, from 2007 until after the Games
- former chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, and chair of the National Infrastructure Strategic Transformation Authority
- former chief executive of Network Rail and of Costain Group
- former chairman of City & Guilds and a non-executive director of Berkeley Group
- CBE in 1996 for services to the rail industry, knighted in 2012 for services to engineering and construction
Max James, chief executive:
- more than 35 years in international investment, development and finance
- real estate investment banking roles at Barings, Lazard and HSBC, latterly as global head of real estate
- chief executive of Quintain from 2011, and then of Blackwall London
- led mixed-use schemes including Wembley Park, Greenwich Peninsula and Thameside West
The page says Sir John sees the construction of the studios as “a strong vote of confidence in the UK creative and technology sectors”.
What changes at the top
Robert Laycock, a film and television producer who lives near Marlow, was the studio’s chief executive when the government approved the scheme. He was quoted in that role in the studio’s planning approval statement and again in March when it bought its headquarters.
The leadership page now lists him as co-founder and board member. Three other founders are listed as board members alongside him and the two new appointees:
- William Camoys
- Simon Barrowcliff
- John Hartz
The studio’s announcement page itself could not be opened on Tuesday: the link from its homepage returned a “not found” error. The summary on the homepage and the updated leadership page are the studio’s own published record of the change.
The Companies House register for Marlow Studios Limited, company 14290137, still showed three directors on Tuesday morning: Simon Barrowcliff, Lord Camoys and Robert Laycock, all appointed in August 2022. No filing for the new appointments had appeared yet. Companies must notify the register within 14 days of a director being appointed.
How the scheme got here
The company was incorporated in August 2022 as Dido Property Limited, the name under which it appealed. It changed its name to Marlow Studios Limited on 12 February 2026.
Buckinghamshire Council refused the application, reference 22/06443/FULEA. The developer appealed and a public inquiry sat in High Wycombe over five weeks in January and February 2025. The inspector recommended approval. On 26 November 2025 the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, agreed and granted permission.
Opposition locally was strong. Marlow Town Council’s statement on the decision noted a parish poll on 9 May 2024 that went against the studios. The town council said it shared residents’ concerns about “the potential detrimental impact” of the development. It said it would liaise with other stakeholders on “an appropriate response”.
The site now also appears in the council’s draft Local Plan as allocation MAR01, the only allocation in Marlow. We covered that in our round-up of the draft plan’s sites.
What the studio says it will build
The figures below are the studio’s own, from its website and its announcements. They have not been independently tested here.
| What | Studio’s figure |
|---|---|
| Overall investment | £1bn |
| Development site | 90 acres |
| Sound stages | 18 |
| Flexible creative workspace | 700,000 sq ft |
| Jobs | 4,000, across film, high-end TV, tech and the local community |
| Economic output | £250m+ gross value added a year |
The jobs and output figures come from the “Key data” panel on the studio’s homepage. The site size, the £1bn figure and the headquarters details come from its headquarters announcement.
That headquarters is Marlow International on Parkway, beside the site. It covers 12 acres and has 230,000 sq ft of offices. The studio said it would house its growing team and visiting productions “even ahead of work commencing on the main site”.
What it means for you
- No building work has started, and no start date has been published. The studio’s community page says only that it “will minimise disruption through the construction phase”.
- The appointments point to construction. Both new leaders come from delivering large building projects, and the board’s own words are “the next phase of implementation”.
- Jobs and training: the studio lists education and training plans on its website. General enquiries go to info@marlow.film.
- Traffic: the A404 and the Westhorpe junction are the roads residents will watch. Our roadworks and travel page will carry any closures once they are notified.
We will update this page when the appointments are filed at Companies House, and when the studio publishes a construction timetable.
Sources
- Marlow Studios homepage, latest news, 28 September 2026
- Marlow Studios leadership team
- Marlow Studios: planning approval statement, 26 November 2025
- Marlow Studios: headquarters announcement, 23 March 2026
- Companies House: Marlow Studios Limited officers and filing history
- Marlow Town Council statement, 3 December 2025
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