A planning application submitted to Richmond Council has asked for permission to extend the rights to film at the site of the old Stag Brewery in Mortlake.

The Brewery, which has been out of use since 18 October 2017 is at the centre of a controversial redevelopment scheme.

The redevelopment is a 1,068 home development that will include tower blocks up to nine storeys tall, restaurants, a hotel, a cinema, and a 1,200-pupil secondary school. 

In August the planning application was revised following an announcement from the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove that all buildings over 18 metres in height will need a second means of escape. 

The requirement means that an additional core would be needed within ten buildings on the east of the site, which will result in a considerable loss of residential floor space.

The site has been used on a temporary basis for filming production over the past few years, with permission granted for this in 2020.

This permission allowed the site to be used for this purpose for two years and in January 2023 this permission was renewed for a further five years.

The 2023 permission said: "Temporary use of the existing buildings and land including erection of temporary external film sets for a period of 5 years for film production operations and ancillary activities."

This permission will cease on 31 May 2027 and an application is now seeking "to allow the film production use and film sets to be used continuously until such time as the masterplan applications referred to below are secured for the site."

The Stag Brewery site. (Photo Credit: Richmond Council).

The application says: "This new application is made so as to ensure the site is fully utilised up to the point the emerging masterplan permission is developed.

"The duration of the permanent film production use permission would be linked to the grant of the Masterplan Applications."

No physical works would take place on the site and the only work proposed under this application is the installation of external film sets within a discreet location outside of the Maltings Building and the Bottling Plant building.

The application also says that any lighting would be directional to the sets only and would avoid any upward light spill and that no lighting would be used outside of the hours of operation of the site, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the local planning authority.

The site was used for the filming of a 12 part victorian drama called 'A Thousand Blows' earlier this year.

The blockbuster was being made for Disney+ and starred Stephen Graham.

View the application here.