Battery Studios under threat of demolition and redevelopment into flats

Battery Studios in London is under threat of demolition and redevelopment into flats. The studio is calling on the music industry, artists, and the public to stand together to protect the legendary studio.

The Battery Studios complex in Willesden Green was originally established as Morgan Studios, a four-room facility owned by Barry Morgan that became a key recording hub in the ‘60s and ‘70s, hosting artists including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Black Sabbath and The Cure.

In 1975, the studio was acquired by the Zomba Group, part of Sony Music, and renamed Battery Studios. During this period, it hosted landmark recordings by artists such as Iron Maiden, Billy Ocean and The Stone Roses.

Following several ownership changes in the early 2000s, producers Alan Moulder and Flood took over Studio 4 in 2005 and Studio 3 in 2008, renaming them Assault and Battery Studio 1 and 2. In 2021, Miloco Studios entered a joint partnership with Moulder and Flood to manage the complex, restoring the Battery Studios name to reflect its long-standing heritage.

“If this development goes ahead, we will lose far more than a studio,” reads the petition to save the studio, adding that the UK will also lose “a vital cultural institution; a living part of Britain’s music history, essential creative workspace, specialist studios that cannot be replicated in residential developments, jobs, production, and talent development that fuel the UK’s creative economy, a powerful artistic legacy and an integral part of the Willesden area’s identity and creative ecosystem”.

This is not an isolated case. Across the UK, recording studios and creative spaces are being lost at an alarming rate. This trend poses a serious threat to the country’s creative infrastructure and long-term cultural and economic health.

Earlier this year, the Government’s November 2025 Budget revealed that music venues and pubs were set to face significant business rate increases, with many facing potential closure as a result.

However, after a campaign from the music and hospitality sector to rethink its approach, the Government went back on its position, announcing that as of April 2026, music venues and pubs will get 15% off their new business rates bill. This means they will save an average of just under £1,700 each, while bills will also be frozen for a further two years.

Recording studios, however, are not included in the U-turn. For many, the proposed business rate hikes pose an existential threat not only to their future, but also to the £8 billion contribution the music industry makes to the economy.

The Music Producers’ Guild (MPG) handed in a petition to Downing Street in December 2025 calling for government to take urgent action and reverse its plans for business rate increases for studios. The letter was signed by a raft of legendary artists and producers, including the likes of Peter Gabriel, Pete Townshend, Robert Smith, producer Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice), and producer Paul Epworth (Adele).

With over 500 recording studios operating across the UK, these spaces form a crucial part of the music ecosystem, similar to grassroots music venues.

A November 2024 study by the MPG revealed that business rates for studios have surged by 25%, threatening the viability of many. The study found that 100% of studios were unable to pass these increases on to clients, while 50% of studios were considering closure within the next 12 months due to rising costs.

“There is also a clear environmental argument: demolishing and rebuilding carries a far greater carbon cost than preserving and modernising existing structures,” points out the petition to save the studio.

“Saving Battery Studios is not only culturally responsible, it is environmentally responsible. Importantly, there is a strong precedent for protecting studios and creative spaces like this. Allowing this demolition would go against that progress and send the wrong message about how we value our cultural assets. We urge the council to reject this proposal and instead support the preservation and continued use of Battery Studios as a world-class creative facility.”

Sign the petition to protect the studio here: