Edinburgh film campus will feature steel structures

An application has been lodged for planning permission in principle for a mixed-use studio development site at Straiton, near Edinburgh, with Midlothian Council.

The 86-acre site will host a world-class film and television production facility incorporating six sound stages, an external water-stage, two backlots, workshops and production office spaces.

Complementing the core studio campus will be a film academy and student residence, a visitor attraction and hotel. A data centre, parking areas and an innovative CHP energy centre will support the future-proofed complex.

PSLL Development Director Jim O’Donnell said: “We look forward to creating a world-class facility to complement Scotland’s existing studio spaces and stunning locations.”

Keppie Design leads the studio design team and it envisages many of the buildings will be steel-framed.

The project will be centred around a reception building that will provide a creative hub for resident production companies, staff and visiting crew with a studio commissary offering stunning views of the Pentland Hills across a landscaped glen.

Creating a production facility of national importance that will also target the international market, six state-of-the-art sound stages will offer a range of options with two measuring 1,400m², two at 1,800m² and two at 2,800m². The two largest stages will reach a height of 21m, with the remaining four stages measuring 15m each.

The developers say the project promises to be the UK’s only purpose-built studio in recent decades and the new build can ensure important elements for future-proofing, avoiding compromises for production, and utilising innovative uses of space; and it is anticipated to attain a BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rating.