Stevenage is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, about 28 miles north of London, east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M) and between Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City. In 1946 it was designated the United Kingdom's first New Town under the New Towns Act, and its layout still shows it: many roundabouts, few traffic lights and a network of fully segregated cycleways planned by Eric Claxton, the town's chief engineer from 1962 to 1972. The 2021 population was 94,456.
We are a broker and never lend. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies buying or refinancing the premises they occupy in Stevenage. The loan is commercial finance secured on your company's own building, not a residential mortgage, and we approach the lenders whose criteria fit your accounts and the property.
Which companies in the Borough of Stevenage buy their premises?
Stevenage is a defence, space and pharmaceutical town. MBDA, owned by BAE Systems, Airbus and Finmeccanica, develops missiles here; the Defence and Space division of Airbus produces satellites; and GlaxoSmithKline has a plant in the town. Hertfordshire County Council names Stevenage, with Watford, as one of its two major sub-regional centres for retail.
Those anchors support precision engineers, electronics and test-equipment firms, laboratory suppliers, contract cleaners, caterers and logistics companies, many of which would rather own a unit than rent one. Retailers, cafes and service businesses add demand for shops in the town centre and the neighbourhood parades. Our owner-occupier mortgages page explains how a lender assesses a company buying the building it trades from.
Insurance brokers, builders and studios in Stevenage, Herts
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Stevenage share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 675 | 16.3% | 12.4% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 455 | 11% | 13.9% |
| Business support services | 360 | 8.7% | 8.1% |
| Retail | 325 | 7.9% | 9.4% |
| Information and communication | 315 | 7.6% | 6.1% |
| Finance and insurance | 300 | 7.3% | 2.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 245 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
| Property | 245 | 5.9% | 4.4% |
| Health and social care | 195 | 4.7% | 5.6% |
- 5.7xfinancial and insurance support services240 businesses
- 2.1xfilm, TV and music production100 businesses
- 1.7xpublic administration55 businesses
- 1.4xspecialist building trades460 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Stevenage stands out for financial services. Finance and insurance firms make up 7.3% of the town's 4,130 business units, more than three times the UK share of 2.2%, and businesses auxiliary to insurance run at 5.68 times. Film and TV production is also at 2.13 times the national rate. Construction is the biggest group, at 16.3% of firms.
The town has a higher share of medium and large employers than many places, with 130 medium firms and 30 large. An insurance broker or agency buying an office is assessed mainly on profit and the strength of its client book.
How do the A1(M) and the East Coast Main Line affect premises finance in Stevenage, UK?
The A1(M) bypasses the town to the west. Work on the 7.5-mile bypass began on 30 May 1960, and the motorway now gives direct access north and south from junctions 7 and 8. Stevenage station is on the East Coast Main Line, where London North Eastern Railway runs intercity trains towards Northern England and Scotland, and local services run into London King's Cross.
For an owner-occupier, units with quick access to the motorway junctions suit firms moving goods or staff, and a lender's valuer will usually see them as easy to re-let. Offices near the station appeal to businesses whose staff and clients travel from London. Specialist laboratory or clean-room fit-outs are fundable, but the valuer will judge how readily another occupier could use the space.
Stevenage's high-value rating list
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse530properties on the rating listUp 3.9% since 2016Average rateable value £76,300factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices620properties on the rating listUp 3.3% since 2016Average rateable value £28,300offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail540properties on the rating listUp 5.9% since 2016Average rateable value £51,400shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial600properties on the rating listUp 7.1% since 2016Average rateable value £65,600pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Stevenage estates from Pin Green to Oaklands and Hyatt Trading Estate
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Stevenage, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Oaklands Industrial EstateStevenage SG1 1XW
- Caxton Point Business CentreStevenage SG1 2XT
- Unit 5 Motorway Industrial EstateStevenage SG1 2TU
- Hyatt Trading EstateStevenage SG1 2EQ
- Arlington Business ParkWhittle Way, 邮政编码: SG1 2FP
- Pin Green Industrial EstateStevenage SG1 4QJ
- Wedgewood Gate Pin Green Industrial EstateWedgewood Way, Stevenage SG1 4SU
Stevenage's premises are valuable: the average rateable value across all types is £54,900, and industrial units average £76,300. Shops average £51,400. Stock changed little, with total premises up 4.6% to 2,280. A buyer will usually be borrowing more than in towns with similar populations, and the valuer will compare the building with a small set of local deals.
What does a commercial property loan in the Stevenage area cost up front?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending usually advance 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, with up to 80% for strong cases. Indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year over 5 to 25 years, with arrangement fees of 1 to 2%, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in England; HMRC's non-residential bands are 0% to £150,000, 2% between £150,001 and £250,000, and 5% above £250,000 (gov.uk; rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. An electronics subcontractor buys a freehold engineering unit near the A1(M) for £700,000. A 75% loan is £525,000, leaving a £175,000 deposit. SDLT on £700,000 is £24,500, so the company needs roughly £199,500 in cash before legal and valuation fees. The commercial stamp duty guide shows the calculation band by band.
Refinancing a business property in Stevenage, England
Companies that already own their premises can remortgage to move to a lender whose terms fit better or to release equity for the business, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 8.0% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Planning records sit with the council for the Borough of Stevenage, and the lender's solicitor will check that the use of the building is lawful. Security is a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry.
Commercial lending to a limited company is unregulated and falls outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter. Where a deal would be regulated, for example lending to a sole trader or individual, or a property where the borrower or a close family member will live in part of it, we refer it to an appropriately authorised firm. For other towns in the county, see our Hertfordshire business mortgages page.
Owner-occupier finance across Stevenage's neighbourhoods
Old Town
The Old Town, whose history includes the Great Fire of 1807 and the Tudor House, predates the New Town by centuries. Its older buildings house independent shops, pubs, restaurants and professional offices, and owner-occupiers buying here should expect the survey to look closely at age and condition.
Town centre and Queensway
The New Town centre around Queensway is the main shopping area, in a town the county council lists among its preferred retail locations. Retailers, food businesses and service firms that buy here want certainty over a site their customers already know.
Bedwell, Broadwater and Shephall
Like the other New Town neighbourhoods, Bedwell, Broadwater and Shephall were planned with their own local shops. Convenience stores, pharmacies, takeaways and hair and beauty businesses buy parade units here, some with flats above, which lenders treat as semi-commercial property.
Chells, Pin Green and Great Ashby
Chells, Chells Manor, Pin Green and the newer Great Ashby mix housing with local centres. Trades and service businesses that work across the town buy small units and shops within these neighbourhoods, where a lender will weigh the strength of the local footfall.
Symonds Green
Symonds Green is one of the town's neighbourhoods, listed alongside Poplars and Bragbury End. Local shops and service premises here are typical small owner-occupier purchases, where the lender relies heavily on the trading accounts of the business.
