Harry Potter: new Leavesden school approved amid series

Plans for the temporary use of land on one of the Leavesden studios' backlots as “a school in association with on-site filming activities” were approved by Three Rivers District Council on Friday (July 11).

The cover letter to the plan does not name Harry Potter but mentions a “significant new TV series which will base itself at the studio for the next eight to 10 years”.

White dashes show outline of the proposed building site (Image: Google Maps) A HBO television adaption of the popular books is due to start filming at the studios later this summer, targeting the release of a new series covering the events of a book in consecutive years.

Child actors will be needed for both major and minor roles as Hogwarts pupils during production and under government guidelines it is essential for kids engaged in film production to have appropriate educational facilities.

We will see Dominic McLaughlin in the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley (Image: HBO/PA) The proposed physical structure is made up of portacabin buildings linked by connecting walkways and staircases, under 10-year temporary planning permission.

Floorplans show a three-storey building with less portacabins on the top floor than on the first and ground floors.

Although designed with room for around 600 children, this is the maximum that could be on site at any one time. More often there will be around 150 pupils, with the number only rising to 600 on “crowd scene days” which would be roughly 10 weeks of the year.

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The cover letter said: “This facility will play a vital role in supporting young performers and allow production activities to take place seamlessly on site without disruption to the filming schedule and the associated cost impacts that could occur as a result of pupils having to leave site.”

It will operate from 5.30am to 8.30pm Monday to Friday, with pupils attending at various times “to accommodate a varied filming schedule and to build in flexibility for night shoots, re-shoots and location filming”.

School-age actors will arrive and leave the site on private coaches on filming days.