£12m film studio planned in Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall

A major television and film studio is to be created in Glasgow.

Glasgow City Council has confirmed it is developing the £11.9 million production facility within the historic Kelvin Hall.

Support of up to £7.9 million will be provided by the Scottish Government.

The council will vote on the project at a committee meeting on Thursday and, if approved, it is expected to be ready to open later this year.

Council leader Susan Aitken said: “Glasgow’s creative industries are hugely important not only to the city’s economy, but also its culture and its national and international profile.

“The city is home to an incredible community of independent producers, with access to an enviable pipeline of young talent.

“We know they are in demand all over the country and, often, the world – but we also know that here at home, there is a relative lack of the kind of studio space they need to be able to win higher-value commissions.

“This exciting plan for the Kelvin Hall will not only establish that kind of facility, but do it right in the heart of the city.

“It shows how serious Glasgow is about fostering and building on a well-deserved reputation as a centre of excellence in television production.”

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “Glasgow’s plans to create studios at its iconic Kelvin Hall with up to £7.9 million of funding from the Scottish Government is a unique opportunity and builds on Scotland’s ambition to drive growth across all aspects of the film and TV sector.

“This new development would support the city’s thriving creative industries sector, help develop our skills base and attract film and TV productions, creating significant social and economic benefits for Scotland as part of our economic recovery.”

The screen sector is already estimated to be worth up to £500 million to Scotland each year, with around 60% of that in Glasgow.

Creating a studio space in Kelvin Hall is expected to address a lack of facilities, which is said to have been a significant barrier to bringing larger productions to Scotland.

Ms Aitken added: “Glasgow and Scotland have a great reputation for producing some of the best and most successful factual programming in the country – but we don’t have the right kind of production space to compete for big-budget entertainment and drama productions.

“In fact, right now, there are projects that originate in Scotland that are forced to relocate to Manchester and London – and that risks drawing talent and skilled jobs away from the city.

“This is our chance to keep that talent, those jobs and real opportunities for our next generation of creative Glaswegians right here.”