Saltire to build 200 Sme-friendly units

● Developer set to invest £10m and create jobs at sites across Scotland

An Elgin-based developer is to deliver 200 industrial units tailored for small businesses across Scotland after unveiling an eight-figure investment.

S altire Business Parks has a c q u i r e d t h r e e s i t e s a n d i s targeting a fur ther ten as it plans to invest £10 million by 2021 as part of a new development programme.

The investment is expected to generate up to 150 full-time jobs across the construction pipeline, as the company aims to deliver 200 industrial facilities for small and mediumsized enterprises (SMES).

Units will range from 1,000 square feet to 10,000 sq ft and are specifically tailored to suit the requirements of smaller firms.

They will include offers of flexible space, allowing busin e s s e s t o s c a l e a s n e e d e d , a n d c l a i m t o p r ov i d e “s i m - ple” leases, with a long-term goal of “helping businesses get operational as quickly and easily as possible”.

C o n s t r u c t i o n i s c u r r e n t l y under way at sites in Dundee and Elgin, with development exp ected to s t ar t in Baden - t o y i n t h e c o mi n g mo n t h s .

“We’re looking to give people the opportunity to try and grow their business. These are designed for small and medium-sized businesses”

ALAN ESSON, SALTIRE MD

Managing director Alan Esson t o l d T h e S c o t s ma n : “We’r e l o o k i n g t o g i ve p e o p l e t h e opportunit y to tr y and grow their business.

“These are designed for small and medium-sized businesses who need that flexibility and I’m ver y positive that there’s the potential here for new jobs as these businesses grow.

“There’s a strong demand for these kinds of units – they are designed so that you can grow from one to two and all you have to do is take down the wall between. In Dundee we are building 16 units and there are eight which are under offer already.

“We also want the leases to b e s i mpl e a n d s h o r t . S o me contracts are 65 or 70 pages long and cost you thousands i n l e g a l c os t s ; t ha t ’s a l o t of money for a start-up or a small business.”

This comes as Saltire, which is supp or ted by Springfield Prop er ties chairman S andy A d a m , r e c e n t l y e x p a n d e d i t s o w n f o o t p r i n t w i t h t h e launch of a new capital base at Rutland Square in Edinburgh. The company is currently in negotiations for several other p oten t i a l d e ve l o p ments , a s i t t a rg e t s a n a d d i t i o n a l t e n industrial sites.

Esson added: “I’m naturally delighted our team is expanding as we progress our plans and the new office at Rutland S quare provides us with the n e c e s s a r y s p a c e f o r f u t u r e growth.

“We’r e n o t b e i n g C e n t r a l B e l t- c e n t r i c , we a r e a c t ive - ly looking for sites across the whole of Scotland. There are b u d d i n g e n t r e p r e n e u r s i n places other than Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“There is a lack of industrial development across Scotland, but this problem is par ticularly acute for space between 1,000 and 5,000 sq ft.

“Scotland’s economy is built u p o n o n t h e s u c c e s s o f i t s SMES, and they need the right t y p e o f s p a c e t o t h r ive a n d grow.”

Saltire is currently on site at Elgin Business Park, which is the largest industrial estate u n d e r c o n s t r u c t i o n i n t h e north of Scotland.

The £5 million development l o c a te d o n t h e e a s te r n o u tskir ts of Elgin ha s received grant assistance from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and is exp ected to create “a substantial number” of jobs upon completion.

hannah.burley@jpimedia.co.uk