Wallace and Gromit makers moving to £10million state-of-the-art studio

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

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It will almost double the number of staff currently working at the site from 110 to 200, as nearly all the company's employees are relocated to the new expanded development.

The news came just days after Aardman announced a lucrative film deal with Sony Pictures - rounding off a great week for the firm.

The new base in Gas Ferry Road will house Aardman's administrative, licensing and creative personal - many of whom have been based in Portakabins for the last year.

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

Aardman co-founder David Sproxton said it was an exciting time in the company's history.

"All this news comes through in a rush like waiting for a London red bus," he said.

"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.

"Everything seems to be going very well. The Sony deal is huge and the creative support it will bring is great.

"And the building will mean everyone can be together at last and out of the Portakabins."

"The planning committee were very positive about it and we've put some effort into making it look interesting."

The building will boast its own "mini cinema" and could feature four wind turbines on the roof - providing up to 25 per cent 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.

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