The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Farmer vows to fight Hollywood film project
PERTHSHIRE: Team behind development want to use Crieff estate for outdoor shoots
An 82-year-old sheep farmer has pledged to stand in the way of a multimillion-pound film studio project which could see more Hollywood blockbusters shot in Perthshire.
Scottish ministers have approved in principle a six-stage development at Straiton, on the edge of Edinburgh.
The team behind the £250 million facility are in talks with the owners of the 10,000-acre Abercairney Estate, near Crieff, about using its lochs, woodlands, mansion house and walled garden for outdoor shoots.
Industry insiders say the studio will be a massive boost to the country. It was claimed that the latest Star Wars feature would have been shot in Scotland, if only the country had a dedicated studio complex (it was shot in Ireland, instead).
But farmer Jim Telfer is refusing to give up his land to make way for the development. He said he and his daughter Mary Begbie, 52, were prepared to go to the Supreme Court to fight it.
Mr Telfer told the Guardian: “I’m not moving. No, no, no. There are other places to go for the film studio.”
Miss Begbie added: “We will fight it to the utmost. To lose (the land) would be devastating, hugely to ourselves but to the community – and for something that could be built elsewhere. There’s absolutely no need to be destroying prime agricultural land for this development.”
The family have lived and worked on the 60-acre site for three generations. The land is owned by the Gibsone family who have made several offers to Mr Telfer and his family.
It is understood they were offered a £250,000 compensation package that would allow Mr Telfer to use the farmhouse until his death, at which point the Gibsone family would seek to take control.
Any move to evict the Telfers would have to be approved by the Scottish Land Court.
A spokesman for the Gibsone family said: “This has been a difficult period for all concerned, but we maintain we have acted in good faith and tried our best to reach a compromise that can work for everyone concerned.
“We are not a wealthy family and it is now a necessity that we will sell the site which we own. A proposal has been made that would allow the tenants, Mr and Mrs Telfer, to remain in the farmhouse, with some alternative land to farm, plus substantial compensation.”
Scottish ministers approved the plans in principle for the studio after months of lobbying by groups and organisations.
Ministers overturned a previous recommendation to refuse permission, claiming that the economic and cultural benefits outweighed concerns about adverse effects on the local landscape.
An Abercairny Estate spokesman said: “Abercairny Estate is working with Pentlands Film Studio and looking to allow them to add us to their offer to production companies for location shoots.”
jabuchan@thecourier.co.uk