THOUSANDS of film studio jobs which could have been created in a £1bn Gwent theme park scheme may instead now be heading west down the M4.

But Dragon International Studios, backers of a proposed 2,000-plus job £300m film studio and theme park for South Wales, claim the new project is not Legend Court II.

The £1bn Legend Court scheme for 1,000 acres near Magor, which was thrown out by Newport planners, was to have created in excess of 12,000 jobs.

But former Welsh Development Agency chief executive Brian Willott, spokesman for the Cheshire-based partnership which wants to develop the new scheme near the M4 at Bridgend, denies the projects are in any way the same.

He said: "The two schemes are completely different - the Legend Court scheme was very much a theme park on green belt land with a film studio as an afterthought while this is first and foremost a film studios planned for an Objective One area on a brownfield site with additional developments such as leisure park, three hi-tech business parks, prestigious headquarters buildings and hotel and conference centre."

The scheme is by JV Partnership, of Fairfield Properties and Westair Properties.

Permission for outline planning has been submitted to Rhondda Cynon Taff council.