Next Harry Potter film could be made in Scotland
Filming on the next Harry Potter movie could begin next year with Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry being sited in the Scottish Highlands, it emerged today.
Glencoe is being considered by Warner Bros for the third film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the company has asked to build a film set in venture which could reap around £3m for the local economy.
Studio bosses have lodged a planning application with Highland Council whose members are expected to give a decision next month.
A council spokeswoman confirmed the planning application includes a gatehouse, sundial garden and stone cottages, which form part of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which Harry attends.
Filming, involving around 400 cast and crew, could begin next February and last until May.
The spokeswoman said: “The planning application is for structures that they are building on a hill and they require planning permission because they are going to be there for longer than 28 days.
“They are expected to be here from February until May.
“We received the planning application last week – they needed permission because they had to build items and have a mesh to stop grass being damaged.”
The application is to build the film set at Torren on the edge of the village of Glencoe, and close to the Clachaig Inn, a popular attraction for hillwalkers and climbers.
The area of Lochaber in western Scotland is no stranger to major productions.
In the summer of 1995, Mel Gibson was near the town of Fort William shooting parts of his Scottish epic Braveheart, and in the same year Liam Neeson was in the area to film Rob Roy.
Highlander, starring Sean Connery and Christopher Lambert, was also filmed in parts of Glen Nevis.
Trish Shorthouse, of Scottish Screen, welcomed the idea.
She said: “If this is the case, then of course we would be absolutely delighted that there’s a possibility of it coming here.
“We’re extremely excited about it, and they have had a huge amount of support locally.”
Asked if filming was likely to bring millions into the local economy, she added: “Yes, if it’s going to be for that length of time, such as what happened with Braveheart.”
A Warner Bros spokeswoman refused to be drawn on a site for the third film.
She stressed a location has not been chosen but confirmed a decision is expected some time next month.
She said: “We will be releasing a statement, hopefully around January, as to where they are looking to site the third film, but a location has not been chosen yet – nothing has been confirmed.”
