Film chiefs puzzled as studio bid stalls

SENIOR figures in the British film industry fear time is running out for a planned £200 million studio complex outside Edinburgh.

Developers have urged Scottish ministers to say when a final decision will be made on the development near Straiton in Midlothian.

And the chairman of the British Film Commission, Glasgow-born Iain Smith, said he was “puzzled” about how long it had taken to get the scheme off the ground.

Mr Smith added: “One of our roles is to bring film to the UK. We need to expand capacity.

“It is a parlous situation for Scotland which will not attract the big productions.

“In this case something has gone wrong somewhere in the political sphere. It’s either incom- petence or one of those political puzzlements.

“I hope it’s not incompetence.”

Another Scottish figure, producer Tommy Gormley, said the country has been “catastrophically left behind” by Wales and Northern Ireland.

There have long been calls for a dedicated film studio north of the Border, with fears the industry is missing out on a boom in filming.

A planning application for the privately backed Straiton development, with six sound stages and a water stage, was “called in” by ministers last year, after a decision was delayed by Midlothian Council.

A report on the planning reporter’s recommendations was received by ministers before Christmas.