Aardman favourites Wallace and Gromit have won three Oscars

The Oscar-winning studio is set to move to a three-storey complex next to its current base in Bristol after the plans were approved by the city council.

About 200 of the company's employees will relocate to the new site.

The Gasferry Road base will house the firm's administrative, licensing and creative personnel, many of whom have been working out of Portakabins.

Buoyant mood

The Banana Warehouse, next door, will continue to be used as a studio, and for model-making and production.

The news came just days after Aardman announced a lucrative film deal with Sony Pictures.

Aardman co-founder David Sproxton said: "All this news comes through in a rush like waiting for a London red bus.

"We've been working on the feature deal for about a year, and the planning for the building has gone on for even longer.

"It's all great news. We're in a very buoyant setting at the moment."

The building will boast its own "mini cinema" and could feature four wind turbines on the roof - providing up to 25% of the site's energy needs.

There was some local opposition to the plans from residents who complained the height of the new building could block their views over the docks.

But the city council unanimously approved the plans at a meeting on Wednesday.

Building work on the site is expected to begin next year.