Plans for a £30 million film studio on the outskirts of Edinburgh are expected to be unveiled  to the public next week.

The Pentland Studios project at Straiton is backed by Jeremy Pelzer, a former studio chief at London’s Ealing Studios and a former head of London’s Elstree Studios.

The local community will have an opportunity to examine plans for the 106-acre site before they are discussed by Midlothian Council in August. Building work may start in October and the first productions to begin filming in 2017.

The facility will provide 260,000 sq ft of space and include eight sound stages, according a report in The Herald which says it would put a question mark over a bid to build a studio in Glasgow which is supported by leading names in the Scottish film industry.