Studios must get rid of asbestos pile

5:58pm Thursday 8th February 2007

Hertsmere Borough Council might have to fork out millions of pounds to remove an asbestos mound at the back of Elstree Film & Television Studios in order to sell the lease for the site.

The mound, which takes up about a quarter of the land, has not been touched for years because of the high cost of removing the hazardous substance, which was dumped there after former studios buildings were demolished.

Council officials and representatives of Pacifica Ventures have been locked in talks since last Wednesday, when councillors voted to approve the American firm's bid.

It has also emerged that Pacifica Ventures asked to use nearby Maxwell Park to build temporary outdoor sets.

Councillor Morris Bright, portfolio holder for property, who is responsible for the council-owned studios, said he approached the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) on Friday to ask for Government funding to remove the mound.

He denied the request for the council to pay had come as a surprise. "I always believed that the mound would cost the council," he said. "It would be unfair to assume that anyone who came in would have to foot the bill.

"We've been putting it off for years because it would have been a huge gamble to use taxpayers' money if nothing was to be done with the site."

The issue would not delay the deal, he said, because the lease for the asbestos land could be sold separately.

Regarding Maxwell Park, he said: "At this stage it's a public park and it remains a public park."