Leith Docks studio set to open by ‘end of year’
● Preferred bidder for site is being kept under wraps
A former wave power plant in Leith Docks is expected to become a multi-millionpound TV and film studio within months.
The Scottish Government’s new screen agency revealed it was in “advanced negotiations” with a preferred bidder for the waterfront site, which would allow it to become operational “by the end of the year”.
However, the operator of the studio facility is being kept under wraps while final legal negotiations are ongoing.
The deal will also have to have a final sign-off from the Scottish Government, which had committed to provide financial support for the studio to help get it off the ground.
A worldwide hunt for an operator was launched in December after the government agreed to back the transformation of the former Pelamis plant. At the time, Screen Scotland said it expected to make a final announcement on an operator “in the spring”.
The 160,000 sq ft site on Bath Road had played host the previous year to Avengers: Infinity War, the biggest blockbuster ever to shoot in Scotland to date, which was worth £10 million to the economy. Forth Ports, which hosted filming on Danny Boyle’s T2 Trainspotting in the docks, has provisionally agreed to lease out the Pelamis building.
Screen Scotland insisted it had seen a significant increase in international inquiries since the preferred site for a new studio was announced late last year, which backed its own analysis “that market conditions will support a studio in Scotland”.
The studio complex, which is expected to have five sound stages up to 100ft tall, is expected to transform Scotland’s ability to attract major film and TV productions.
It was reported last month that a new Lord of the Rings TV series being developed by Amazon has already been lined up for the studio if it is ready by the autumn.
Screen Scotland, which launched in August, previously hailed the 8.6 acre site as having “enormous potential”, saying it could be rapidly adapted so that it could “swiftly provide a home in Scotland for large-scale productions”.
A Screen Scotland spokeswoman said: “Following the published tender process, we’re currently in advanced negotiations with a preferred bidder for the studio in Bath Road.
“Subject to finalising the necessary legal detail and Scottish Government approval, the operator will be announced as soon as possible, with the intention still to have the studio operational by the end of the year.”
The tender for the Leith Docks site was issued two months after a farmer won a long-running legal battle to remain on land earmarked for a £250m studio development in Midlothian.