THE developers behind a £200 million plan to build a international film studio complex for Scotland have urged the Scottish Government to tell them when a decision on the project will be made.
The planning application for the privately-backed Pentland studio development, with six sound stages and a water stage, at Straiton outside Edinburgh, 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 on December 22.
Now, in a letter to the Scottish Government, the developers PLS Land, say Wednesday will be the final day to remain within a target time frame of under three months for a determination to be made – and notes the proposal has been going through the formal planning process since September 2014.
It states: “While appreciative that the nature of his proposal…requires detailed consideration of the merits of the development, the appellant is concerned there are no statutory timescales, or indeed a formal determination date, in which Ministers will be obliged to have issued their decision.”
The letter goes on to state: “The proposed development will deliver the first purpose-built film studio in Scotland, which has been recognised by the Association of Film and Television Producers Scotland as being integral to the future of the film industry of Scotland.
“Through the delivery of this studio, a Film Academy will emerge with associated student accommodation to educate the next generation of the film industry within Scotland, thus enhancing the country’s reputation as being at the forefront of the industry worldwide.”
It concluded by saying PSL Land would be grateful if ministers could “provide an indicative timeframe for the determination of the ongoing appeal.”
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.
Scotland is the only nation in the UK which does not have its own studio. Despite this it has attracted a number of major productions in recent years such as the films World War Z, Skyfall, Harry Potter, Fast and Furious and the hit TV series Outlander – filmed at Wardpark Studios in Cumbernauld.
The latest is the new Avengers blockbuster, Infinity War, with filming taking place at various locations in Edinburgh over the next few weeks and the Wardpark Studios also used for the production.
While there are moves to expand Wardpark, the Pentland project is the biggest film studio plan currently proposed for Scotland. However it has been opposed by the farmer who lives and works on the land proposed for the site and other local residents.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “The Scottish Government is considering a planning application and every effort is being made to issue the decision as soon as possible.
“Government officials only received the Reporters submission on the Pentland's proposal at the end of December.
“This is a highly complex planning application for a mixed-use development of which a film studio is only one part, and Ministers are currently giving full and proper consideration to it.
“There are many factors to consider that can affect timelines and it would be misleading to suggest an indicative date for decision.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel