Exclusive:Future of River City studio at risk as owner mulls late bid
River City’s 23-year run at Dumbarton Studios is to come to an end in April
A bid to save a major Scottish studio where River City was filmed is in jeopardy after the owners are believed to be mulling an alternative cash bid which could lead to its redevelopment.
Maureen Hascoet, director of Firewalker Pictures, last year revealed plans for a fully funded bid to buy Dumbarton Studios - one of only four full scale production studios in Scotland - to "preserve" it for the film industry.
However, she was told last week by site owner Westerwood Properties that an alternative cash bid had been launched, which she believes to be from a developer outwith the film industry.
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.
The broadcaster does not own the studio and has had it on a long-term lease from Westerwood.
She said: “I don’t think a fully-funded offer should be sidelined. The whole time, we have been working on this, then the day we put in the offer, we’re told ‘Actually, there’s a cash bid against you’. It’s so frustrating.
“I am offering to keep the studios going, so how is this not protected?”
She added: “The owners will not disclose who the other offer is from. But if it was from someone else in the Scottish film industry, or from Paramount or Netflix, I would know, so I assume it is from a developer who is planning to turn the site into something other than a film studios.”
It is likely a decision will be made on the future of the site by the end of this week.
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.
Firewalker Pictures plans to invest in upgrading the facilities to ensure the studio remains an attractive location for both domestic and international productions.
Ms Hascoet said she had already turned down a contract with the producers of hit TV series Shetland due to lack of certainty over the studios’ future.
Meanwhile, other organisations in the sector which were considering moving their headquarters to the studio under her leadership, have also been left in limbo.
Ms Hascoet pointed to the wealth of talent development which had taken place during the 23 years River City was filmed at Dumbarton.
She said: “We are losing all of that with River City, but that doesn’t mean we need to lose the facility.”
Craig Watson, group property director at Edinburgh-based Westerwood Properties, said he could not comment on individual bids due to commercial sensitivity, but confirmed a decision on the future of the site was likely to be agreed in the coming days.
He said: “We’re not actively pursuing an open market sale for Dumbarton Studios, but we have had a couple of approaches and we have had some conversations with people.
He said he had not discussed potential future use of the site with all potential buyers.
He said: “Firewalker has been very transparent about what they plan to do, but people do not have to do that.”
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