River City studios to close for good after developer bid accepted for site

The film studios which housed River City for more than 20 years is set to close for good after an industry bid to preserve it was turned down in favour of a developer.

An offer on Dumbarton Studios revealed by The Scotsman last week has been accepted by owners Westerwood Properties, with the site now set for redevelopment.

The BBC announced a year ago that River City would stop filming this April after 23 years, saying there had been a significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs. As well as River City, the site has hosted a range of film and TV productions since 2008, including Shetland, Still Game and Two Doors Down.

Maureen Hascoet, director of Firewalker Pictures, last year revealed plans for a fully funded bid to buy the studios - one of only four full scale production studios in Scotland - to "preserve" it for the film industry.

She said she had received an email on Monday from Westerwood notifying her that the sale had been agreed with another buyer, which she believes to be from outwith the film industry. The company told her they were unable to disclose the identity of the buyer due to confidentiality agreements.

Maureen Hascoet, director of Firewalker Pictures, assembled a bid for the studios. | Maureen Hascoet

“It has real implications for both the site and the Scottish film industry,” she said. “They are now likely to flatten the site. The BBC spent 23 years investing in this site, it must be in the tens of millions and now that’s going to be flattened.”

It is believed that under the terms of the long term lease held by the BBC, it needs to return the site to its original state before vacating it, which will require the removal of specific studio equipment and sets, which could have been utilised by Ms Hascoet’s team.

“How did we get here? How is this possible?” she said. “I think people don’t realise that when we lose the studios on top of River City, that is going to be a huge shift in the industry.”

Gillian (Gail Watson) & Roisin (Joyce Falconer) | CREDIT LINE:BBC Studios

Ms Hascoet, who has previously worked at studios including Ealing and Pinewood in London, said Westerwood had told her the difference between her offer, backed by investors, and that of the other buyer was “marginal”, but that the other company was an “established business”.

“I had everything in place ready to go,” she said. “The fact that didn’t factor in to the decision marking process doesn’t sit well with me. As an industry, we need to reflect on what that is saying to us.”

She said she plans to search for another potential site to be converted into a studio.

“I’m in a weird position now where I’m sitting with and investor and backers and all of the momentum of the past nine months, but I don’t have a site.”

She said one option was a pop-up studio style development, which she said could be created on a cleared site in around four months.

“I know it is possible and I know the kind of money that is needed, so that may be the best option,” she said.

Edinburgh-based Westerwood Properties has been contacted for comment.