Property giants reveal 'world-class' film and TV vision after snapping up Good Omens studio in Bathgate

One of Europe’s biggest property giants has snapped up the Scottish studio complex where the new series of Neil Gaiman’s Good Omens is being made.

A new series of Good Omens is being filmed at the Pyramids Business Park in Bathgate.

The Pyramids Business Park, in Bathgate, where Danny Boyle made Trainspotting sequel T2, has been acquired by real estate firm London & Regional, which has a worldwide portfolio worth £9 billion.

The company, which owns the Atlas Hotels Group, David Lloyd Leisure and the General Healthcare Group, will be renaming the site “Pyramids Studios” under plans to significantly expand and develop its production facilities.

London and Regional has already lodged plans for the new studio facilities as part of a drive to create a “world-class platform for film and TV production” in Bathgate.

The former Motorola mobile phone factory is set to be a 'world-class' film and TV production complex.

The firm said it was also considering other longer-term developments in Scotland to help ensure the future sustainability of its screen sector.

The West Lothian site, just off the M8 motorway, is occupied by Amazon and the BBC for a new six-part series of Good Omens starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen.

The 93-acre site, which is only around 12 miles away from Edinburgh, has been sold off for an undisclosed sum by Ashfield Land, five years after it acquired the business park.

The Bathgate complex, which was also used for Netflix’s Robert the Bruce epic Outlaw King, boasts a 64,000sqft sound stage up to 30ft tall, a back lot and a unit base. It was used as a based for filming interior scenes for T2 while location work was carried out in Edinburgh, West Lothian and Glasgow.

The former Motorola mobile phone factory is set to be a 'world-class' film and TV production complex.

However, the new owners are planning to create an additional 120,000sqft of space for sound stages and studio workshops.

An official announcement from London and Regional said: “We recognise the versatile appeal of filming in Scotland and will endeavour to create a world-class, sustainable, long-term future for the film making industry in Scotland.

"A planning application to expand the studios has already been submitted. Future longer-term developments are also being considered, to ensure the sustainability of the use and film-making in Scotland.

"We are excited to be working with all the stakeholders, including West Lothian Council, the Scottish Government and Screen Scotland, to deliver long-term success for Film and TV in Scotland.”

Isabel Davis, executive director of government agency Screen Scotland said: “The Pyramids’ future as a film and TV studio is secured through this acquisition, which represents another great step forward in Scotland’s growth trajectory, consolidating further the significant screen infrastructure developments in Scotland since 2018. We look forward to working with London and Regional as their plans develop.”

The sale of the Pyramids Business Park has been confirmed just days after it emerged the Lanarkshire warehouse where Outlander has been made for the past eight years has changed hands.

At the time, Scottish culture secretary Angus Robertson said the announcement highlighted the “growing confidence in Scotland as a world-class film and TV-making destination”.

Ashfield Land director Steven McGarva said: “The market for studio and production space is strong right now. We’ve loved working with our occupiers, West Lothian Council and other stakeholders, but now is a good time to pass the reins to someone else and to look at other opportunities where we can apply our skills in re-purposing assets and delivering impactful development.”