The former River City studios site in Dumbarton has been sold to Glasgow-based housebuilder Turnberry Homes in a £2.1 million deal, drawing a line under more than two decades of TV production on the banks of the Clyde.
The sale paves the way for new housing overlooking Dumbarton Rock and the River Clyde, but has left long-standing fans of the show and local campaigners fearing the loss of a cultural landmark and skilled creative jobs in the town.
The Dumbarton site, which had become synonymous with BBC Scotland’s long-running drama River City, was put in the spotlight in recent years after the broadcaster confirmed the series would end and production at the studios would cease. Campaigners, including some local politicians, had urged the BBC to reconsider, arguing that River City provided a rare, sustained investment in Scotland’s screen sector outside Glasgow and Edinburgh, and that closing the studios would hit the local economy. Their efforts ultimately failed, clearing the way for the sale to a private developer.
Turnberry Homes, an independent developer with a track record of building high-spec homes across west and central Scotland, has been expanding its portfolio in Dumbartonshire and along the Clyde corridor. Its nearby Queenswater Apartments development already markets waterfront living “between the historic Dumbarton Rock and the River Clyde”, signalling the kind of lifestyle-led residential scheme likely to emerge on the former River City land.
The Dumbarton studios purchase continues a pattern of the company acquiring brownfield or former commercial sites and turning them into mixed housing, as seen in previous projects such as its Clydebank pub redevelopment.
For creative workers who once filled the sound stages and production offices, the sale is being seen as the end of a chapter that helped nurture Scottish screen talent in everything from acting and directing to set design and technical crafts. Over the years, the studios supported an ecosystem of freelancers, local suppliers and hospitality businesses in Dumbarton and the surrounding area, which campaigners say will be hard to replace.
Critics of the BBC decision have also raised concerns about a broader centralisation of production and a narrowing of opportunities for working-class and regional voices in Scottish drama.
Maureen Hascoet, director of Firewalker Pictures said: “The sale confirms the wider concern many of us in the industry had.
“I’m extremely disappointed that a fully funded proposal to retain Dumbarton Studios as a working film and TV facility wasn’t successful.
“Recent meetings have shown we are far from done feeling the compounding effects of the loss of Dumbarton Studios. I hope it becomes a cautionary tale and sparks a broader conversation about how Scotland values, protects and develops long-term screen infrastructure.”
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Local residents are now waiting to see detailed plans for the Turnberry Homes scheme, which will be subject to West Dunbartonshire Council’s planning process and consultation.
Supporters of redevelopment argue that new housing could bring fresh investment, improve the appearance of a prominent waterfront site and create a new community overlooking one of Scotland’s most recognisable landmarks, Dumbarton Rock. Others, however, remain “devastated” at what they view as the irreversible loss of a unique piece of Scotland’s broadcasting heritage in exchange for yet more private housing.
