Scotland is moving one step closer to having a major film studio of its own after details emerged of rival bids from sites on the outskirts of Edinburgh and in Dundee.
The Edinburgh site, at Straiton in Midlothian, would be a privately funded $150m complex featuring six sound stages, on 86 acres of land close to an existing retail site, according to the Scotsman. It would feature 130,000 sq ft of studio space and is set to include two Hollywood-style backlots, an outdoor water stage and a film academy. Titled Pentland Studios, the project would be the UK’s third-largest studio, according to developers PSL Land Ltd.
“We look forward to creating a world-class facility to complement Scotland’s existing studio spaces and stunning locations,” said PSL’s Jim O’Donnell. “Situated on the outskirts of one of Europe’s greatest cities, the proposed studio will place broadcast, indigenous and international film-production needs at the forefront, while retaining the character and integrity of the local area, and its natural beauty.”
Meanwhile, backers of rival project Studio City Scotland in Dundee were due to meet this week to progress their own bid, which aims to create a $120m eco-friendly film and TV studio with multiple sound stages. The facility, which is being backed by Hollywood actor and Dundee man Brian Cox, could be built on land next to Claverhouse Industrial Park in the north of the city, according to the Dundee Courier. The consortium behind the privately funded bid has held discussions with Dundee city council, as well as Hollywood studios and film industry professionals.
“Dundee is the right place at the right time,” said Martin Cherry, managing director of consortium member Bannerman Technology. “The city is undergoing major regeneration around the new V&A at Dundee, so this development will capitalise on the attention that is attracting.”
Scotland has lagged behind the rest of the British isles in recent years as local competitors in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales enjoy what has been described as a big-and small-screen “gold rush”. The country recently lost out to Wales for the filming of multimillion-pound zombie blockbuster Generation Z, and famously missed the chance to host fantasy epic Game of Thrones because Belfast boasted a brand new facility.
Agency Creative Scotland has committed to a permanent studio aimed at competing with those elsewhere, but proposals for a publicly funded facility have struggled to move beyond the discussion stage. In February, the Scottish Parliament’s culture secretary Fiona Hyslop revealed that the agency set up to remedy the lack of facilities, Scottish Enterprise, was considering a bid for a privately funded film studio.
Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire is another possible site for the proposed studio, having recently hosted the shoot for the hit US fantasy show Outlander. Local reports in February suggested Scottish Enterprise was due to view a pair of industrial sites in the town after the body rejected a bid to open a film studio in Glasgow.
