The owners of Twickenham Film Studio have fallen silent over a promised £15m redevelopment of the site.

The scheme was announced over two years ago with enormous fanfare by what is the UK's oldest film studios with a remarkable record of success dating back to 1913.

It was granted planning permission in November 2021 and the redevelopment was presented as a renaissance for the historic studios, promising to breathe new life into the film, arts and creative industries in the area.

However, not a single spade has gone into the ground, while the company that took over running the studios and made a number of exciting promises has failed.

At the same time, the managing director of the studios, Cara Sheppard, who was one of the main public faces of the rejuvenation, has moved on.

The scheme, which included an extra storey to several of the buildings, promised –

* A landmark new entrance building at the junction of St Margarets Road and the Barons.

* A new hub for the creative industries in the area with workspaces for rent.

* A new TV studio with audience seating for up to 150 people.

* A new café and public space as well as boutique cinema.

* The refurbishment of existing film and sound production studios.

Twickenham Film Studios has a stellar record with a number of Oscar successes, most notably for its sound experts.

Its teams and facilities have played a key role in many recent blockbusters, including Top Gun: Maverick, Daniel Craig's last Bond No Time to Die, Bohemian Rhapsody and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast.

The redevelopment received support from many local groups, including the Barons Residents Association. The group told Nub News: "We welcome this improvement project and the value to the community in respect of jobs and keeping our high street vibrant, which will be welcome especially after this Covid period."

Despite the grand promises and good will, the site appears virtually unchanged to anyone passing the collection of largely anonymous buildings.

TIME+SPACE Studios, which drew up the expansion scheme in partnership with the developer, General Projects, failed last autumn. At about the same time, the managing director at the studios, Cara Sheppard, left.

When the scheme was granted approval, she said: "The redevelopment is such an important turning point for our iconic studio, the significant investment in the regeneration and expansion of the site and its facilities will enhance our whole studio campus.

"We are investing heavily into securing the best industry talent as well as the latest technologies that combined will ensure the next chapter for Twickenham Studios is even more successful than the last."

In 2021, the chief executive of General Projects, Jacob Loftus, heralded the project, saying: "Our work constantly seeks to find opportunities to support the arts and culture sector, so working on a project like Twickenham Film Studios is truly exciting.

"With its rich history and heritage, our collective focus is to future-proof this incredible facility – through careful expansion, enhancing public access and delivering a benchmark creative resource for the next generation of content creators."

Twickenham Film Studios did not respond to repeated request for an update on the scheme. And Mr Loftus, of General Projects, refused to say when or if the original scheme will be built.

In a statement, he would only say: "Since acquisition planning consent has been obtained for a comprehensive refurbishment and extension of the Studios.

"Over the past three years, various upgrades have been implemented across the site including a new state of the art IMAX sound theatre, with future works intended to take place on a phased basis, working around the operational needs of the studio."

The British Airways Pension Fund invested millions of pounds in the Studios, however it was also unable to offer any comment on the promised expansion beyond the statement from Mr Loftus.

The Studios have not provided an update to the Council on scheme and the expansion was not discussed with the local MP, Munira Wilson, who recently visited the site.