Yoo Capital Wins Planning Approval for £1 Billion Camden Film Quarter Development with Places for People
LONDON, June 16, 2026 — Camden Council has resolved to grant planning permission for Camden Film Quarter, a £1 billion creative-led regeneration project developed by Yoo Capital that will establish a film and television production campus in the Regis Road Growth Area of north London. The scheme, developed in partnership with Places for People as housing partner, will deliver 485 new homes, 11 purpose-built sound stages and more than 100,000 square feet of creative and production workspace.
Project Scope and Key Deliverables
The approved masterplan, designed by Camden-based architect SPPARC, brings together film and television production facilities, specialist education, affordable housing, public open space and community infrastructure within a single integrated development. The site is located five minutes' walk from Kentish Town Underground and Thameslink stations and within reach of Kentish Town West Overground station.
The approved proposals include:
- 11 purpose-built sound stages to be operated by Oxygen Studios
- 485 new homes, including 243 affordable homes delivered in partnership with Places for People, representing 50% affordable housing
- Approximately 3,960 direct operational jobs and 5,155 net additional jobs overall
- More than 100,000 sq ft of creative, production and employment space
- Facilities for more than 500 learners through the National Film and Television School and London Screen Academy
- Approximately 1.1 hectares (2.8 acres) of publicly accessible open space
- 301 new trees and approximately 190% Biodiversity Net Gain
- A new enclosed Reuse and Recycling Centre
- The long-term conservation and reuse of the Grade II listed Kentish Town Police Station
Yoo Capital describes the project as the first development of its kind in the world, combining film and television production facilities with screen industry education, affordable housing, creative employment space and major new public realm at this scale.
Yoo Capital and Places for People on the Vision
Lloyd Lee, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Yoo Capital, said the project represents a new model for urban regeneration.
"Camden Film Quarter is much more than a film studio development. It is a complete creative ecosystem that brings together production, education, employment, homes, culture and public space within a single integrated vision," Lee said. "At a time when the UK screen sector requires new infrastructure to remain globally competitive, Camden Film Quarter demonstrates how the creative industries can act as a catalyst for transformational regeneration."
Lee added that the project reflects the firm's view that development should be "both fiscally and socially responsible," with the studios providing what he described as the economic engine that helps deliver affordable homes, education, public space and community infrastructure.
Andrew Usher, Group Managing Director of Developments at Places for People, said the development addresses a pressing need for affordable housing in inner London.
"London is facing a housing crisis that demands bold action and genuine commitment, and we believe this development is exactly the kind of response the capital needs. Delivering 485 high-quality homes, with 50% designated as affordable, will make a real and positive difference to people's lives and help address the acute shortage of genuinely affordable housing in inner London," Usher said.
Education, Studio Operations and Design
Simon Lear, Managing Director of Camden Film Quarter, noted that the planning approval follows years of community consultation and design development involving residents, businesses, community groups, schools, elected members and officers.
"Camden Film Quarter has evolved through extensive engagement with residents, businesses, community groups, schools, elected members and officers to ensure it responds to the aspirations of the Regis Road Growth Area," Lear said.
Jonathan Greenfield, Chief Executive of Oxygen Studios, which will operate the 11 sound stages, said the project responds to continued demand for studio infrastructure in the UK.
"What makes Camden Film Quarter truly unique is the way it brings together studios, production and post-production space, creative businesses, education and future talent within a single ecosystem," Greenfield said. "By connecting learning, skills and employment with world-class production facilities, it creates the foundations for long-term success."
Trevor Morriss, Principal at SPPARC, said the masterplan was designed to open up a previously inaccessible industrial estate and create new parks, public spaces and improved connections across the area. "Rather than separating industry, education, housing and public life, the masterplan brings them together in a highly connected and walkable neighbourhood," Morriss said.
Project Team and Yoo Capital Background
The full project team includes SPPARC for masterplan, architecture and urban design; Broadway Malyan for residential architecture; Montagu Evans for planning, historic environment and townscape; Spacehub for landscape architecture; Momentum Transport Consultancy for transport and movement; and Atelier Ten for sustainability, energy and environmental design. Cost consultancy is provided by Gardiner & Theobald, with planning legal advice from Town Legal and corporate and real estate legal advice from Fladgate.
Yoo Capital is a privately held real estate firm that the company states has invested over £3.0 billion into Central London since its formation in 2010 by Co-Founders John Hitchcox and Lloyd Lee. The firm's other projects include the £1.3 billion reimagining of Olympia, which the company said opened to the public the same week as the Camden planning approval, as well as the revival of the Saville Theatre and Hotel and Shepherd's Bush Market.
The planning approval marks a milestone in Camden Council's vision for the Regis Road Growth Area.