Landowner turns focus on film studio bid
● The Duke of Buccleuch joins developer behind previous scheme
One of Scotland’s biggest landowners is pursuing plans for a world-class film and TV studio complex just outside Edinburgh.
Nine sound stages would be created at a 48-acre site in Midlothian on land currently owned by the Duke of Buccleuch’s property empire.
Buccleuch Estates has joined forces with developers behind a previous studio scheme – thwarted in the wake of a bitter legal battle with a farmer – to draw up plans for the site at Salter’s Gate, near Dalkeith.
Their deal has emerged just weeks after it emerged that an empty warehouse in Leith Docks had been earmarked by the Scottish Government and its screen agency for a studio development.
A search is under way for a developer and operator for the Leith project, which would see five sound stages created inside the building. The 160,000 sq ft building was used for several months as a production base for blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War in 2017.
The Midlothian project is being pursued for a site around four miles away from the one which was first proposed for the Pentland Studios project in 2014. Buccleuch Estates approached PSL Land in the autumn after the Scottish Land Court found in favour of farmer Jim Telfer, whose family had occupied the land since 1915.
The ruling, revealed in October, was a huge blow to hopes that Scotland would finally boast a permanent purposebuilt studio facility. However, it emerged in December that Screen Scotland, which was launched by the government last summer, was launching a global hunt for partners to turn the former Pelamis wave turbine plant in Leith into a permanent studio facility. Submissions are due in by 1 February.
Since then an agreement on the new Midlothian site has been struck between PSL Land and Buccleuch Property, which represent the commercial property interests of of Richard Scott, the Duke of Buccleuch, who has around 220,000 acres across Scotland .
As well as around 200,000 sq ft of studio space, the new site at Salter’s Gate would feature around 120,000 sq ft of workshop space. Talks are also ongoing with Napier University about establishing a film academy on the site.
PSL Land, which has lodged a planning application with Midlothian Council, hopes to begin work on site within months and have the studio up and running by the end of this year or early in 2020.
Nick Waugh, commercial property director at Buccleuch Property, said: “We recognise the importance of this ambitious project and are delighted to play a role in helping deliver a world-class film studio to Scotland that will inevitably transform the Scottish creative industry and our reputation as a filming location across the globe.”
Nick Smith, an industry con- sultant to PSL Land, told Variety magazine: “You look at what’s happening in the Bristol and South Wales corridor or Belfast, and the one area of the UK that is missing out by a country mile and has been for years is Scotland.”
Isabel Davis, executive director of Screen Scotland, said: “It’s very encouraging PSL is taking forward its studio proposal to Salter’s Gate.
“With record levels of film and TV production spend in Scotland, and the global content market remaining buoyant, it’s vital we have the studio capacity to support future growth.
“The proposed development at Salter’s Gate will complement other existing facilities servicing the industry to provide world-class film and TV facilities to both the Scottish industry and large-scale international productions.”