Penrith Lakes to be the site of a $150 million film studio

The glitz and glamour of Hollywood will soon be coming to Sydney’s west thanks to plans for a $150 million film studio on the site of an old sandstone quarry.

The glitz and glamour of Hollywood will soon be coming to Sydney’s west amid plans for a $150 million film studio on the site of an old sandstone quarry.

Planning Minister Rob Stokes will next week release details for a slice of the 2000ha Penrith Lakes to be turned into a world-class film studio, appropriately named Lakeside Studio.

A $150 million film studio, golf course, freshwater beaches and helipad are planned for Penrith Lakes.

Driven by the insatiable demand generated by streaming services such as Binge and Netflix, the facility will also feature an 18-hole golf course, helipad and film production training school.

“Who needs Hollywood Hills when we’ve got Penrith Lakes? NSW is home to some of the best film production crews in the world, so it’s fitting they have a place to call home in Greater Sydney,” Mr Stokes said.

“If approved, this 41ha precinct would include up to 10 production stages, filming tanks, construction and design facilities, as well as a film school.

“It would create up to 300 construction jobs over three years and, once completed, the site would ­employ up to 2000 people on major movie projects.”

The quarry was closed in 2015 and is next to the Sydney Olympic Regatta Centre.

It is also where numerous scenes were shot for the 2015 film Mad Max Fury Road, which won six ­Oscars.

Lakeside Studio’s development will be spearheaded by industry veteran James M. Vernon. He has 35 credits as producer and executive producer, including on Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge and The King’s Daughter starring Pierce Brosnan.

Former Warner Bros. Inter­national president Wayne Duband will serve as international studio consultant.

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road.

“The demand for studio space in Australia has quadrupled in the past 10 years and recent inquiries from overseas producers have amounted to $2 billion in production expenditure,” Mr Vernon told The Saturday Telegraph.

“Disney acquired Fox Studios Moore Park from Fox, which is now generally taken by Marvel’s big-budget productions.

“This has mostly rendered Sydney without a full-service film ­studio for both domestic and international producers who are having to resort to shooting in auditor­iums, basketball courts and warehouses”.

Mr Vernon said the project had the backing of Lindsay Federal MP Melissa McIntosh, and he hoped to have Lakeside Studio up and running “within two years”.

“Stars from all over the world will soon be coming to work at ­Penrith’s own world-class studio,” he said.

Planning and Public Spaces Minister Rob Stokes says the studio would provide ongoing jobs. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Nikki Short

Lakeside Studio will institute a program of traineeships and apprenticeships for the provision of locally based film crew personnel.

Western Sydney Leadership Dialogue chair Chris Brown said it was “a great shot in the arm for jobs in Penrith”, and called for the NSW government to get on with turning parts of Penrith Lakes into a swimming destination.

The site has 723ha of lakes — some up to 8m deep — with plans for 32ha of wetlands and smaller water bodies. It was once the biggest sandstone and gravel quarry in the southern hemisphere and is owned by Boral, Holcim Australia and Hanson Australia.

The freshwater lakes were cre­ated when rainwater filled them up, however the site was largely unaffected by recent floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean.

Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Minister Stuart Ayres said plans will ensure the heritage listing of the Landers Inn.

“This is really important because it will ensure the building is protected while giving the public greater access to a historic local building,” he said.

“Importantly, the plan also ensures flood evacuation will be considered for all land use proposals within the Penrith Lakes Scheme.”