Ashford Studios has applied for planning permission for a major development at the site in Wicklow.
‘Vikings’ is currently shooting 20 episodes for season five of the international hit, however Wicklow County Council has said that the application was ‘inadequate and lacked essential information’, as reported by Gavin Daly in the Sunday Times.
The application for the second phase of the development includes 12 four-storey buildings, which incorporates a film studio, a television studio, visitor centre, offices, and parking. The Council has concerns that the expansion could ‘significantly detract’ from the landscape and set ‘an undesirable presedent for similar forms of hightly inappropriate development’.
Joe O’Connell, owner of Ashford Studios, has confirmed that he is sending to the council the information it requires, saying that up to 450 people are employed on ‘Vikings’, and this next phase could employ up to 1800 people. “All we can do is wait. Planning is a process and it just takes time.”