Gloucestershire is a ceremonial county in South West England, bordered by six English counties, Bristol and the Welsh county of Monmouthshire. Wikipedia gives it an area of 3,150 square kilometres and an estimated population of 975,712 in 2024. The city of Gloucester is the largest settlement, the spa town of Cheltenham sits immediately to its east, and the far south around Filton and Kingswood is densely built up as part of the Bristol urban area. The rest is predominantly rural, split between the Cotswolds, the Severn Vale and the Forest of Dean.
We are a broker, not a lender. We arrange business mortgages for limited companies that want to buy, or refinance, the premises they trade from anywhere in the county. This is commercial lending secured on a working building, not a residential mortgage. We read your accounts, look at the property and then take the case to the lenders whose criteria fit it.
Which buildings do Glos. companies buy with a business property loan?
The county never industrialised heavily. During the Industrial Revolution the Port of Gloucester gained new docks and the small Forest of Dean coalfield was worked, but most economic life stayed spread across market towns and villages. That pattern still shows in what owner-occupiers buy: workshops and light industrial units on the edges of towns, shops and offices on Cotswold high streets, and yards or agricultural-style buildings in the Vale and the Forest.
The Office for National Statistics figures quoted by Wikipedia put Gloucestershire's gross value added at £11,452 million in 2009, against a South West regional average of £7,927 million. The south of the county, which shares Bristol's economy, adds a denser market of trade counters, warehouses and offices. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages sets out how a lender weighs a company buying the building it occupies.
Vets, engineers and builders across Gloucestershire
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Covers 7 council areas: Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury, South Gloucestershire.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Gloucestershire share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical | 6,610 | 14.2% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 6,405 | 13.7% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 3,895 | 8.3% | 9.3% |
| Business support services | 3,760 | 8.1% | 8.2% |
| Information and communication | 2,825 | 6.1% | 6.2% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 2,780 | 6% | 6.3% |
| Health and social care | 2,595 | 5.6% | 5.7% |
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 2,495 | 5.3% | 4.4% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 2,235 | 4.8% | 4.3% |
- 1.5xveterinary practices160 businesses
- 1.5xaerospace, rail and marine equipment45 businesses
- 1.4xforestry110 businesses
- 1.4xglass, ceramics and building materials105 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Gloucestershire's seven council areas, including South Gloucestershire, hold 46,755 business units. Veterinary practices run at 1.53 times the UK share, aerospace and transport equipment makers at 1.46 times and machinery manufacturers at 1.34 times. Manufacturing makes up 4.8% of firms, and farming 5.3%. A veterinary practice buying its surgery is a strong owner-occupier case, while engineering firms often need units with heavy power and crane capacity, which a valuer will consider.
Does the landscape of the County of Gloucester affect owner-occupier lending?
It can. The River Severn bisects the county, entering near Tewkesbury and widening into a tidal estuary, while the Cotswolds take up much of the east and south and the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley rise in the west. All three are designated national landscapes. A building in a protected setting, a listed Cotswold stone shop for example, is perfectly fundable, but the valuer will note any restrictions on use or alteration, and those notes shape the loan.
Access matters too. Gloucestershire once had over 100 railway stations; only 15 remain, mostly on the CrossCountry route and around the North Fringe of Bristol, though Cam and Dursley reopened in 1994 and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury in 1997. A unit close to a main road or one of those stations is usually easier to relet, which a lender counts in its favour. Where a property is mainly a trading business with living space attached, see semi-commercial premises.
Gloucestershire's industrial stock up 8.8%
Valuation Office Agency, non-domestic rating stock of properties, March 2026. Totals for Cheltenham, Cotswold, Forest of Dean, Gloucester, Stroud, Tewkesbury, South Gloucestershire. Average rateable value is the VOA's estimate of annual rent, not a sale price.
- Industrial and warehouse10,130properties on the rating listUp 8.8% since 2016Average rateable value £39,000factories, workshops, warehouses and trade units
- Offices6,530properties on the rating listUp 9.7% since 2016Average rateable value £24,600offices, including converted buildings
- Shops and retail6,480properties on the rating listUp 0.3% since 2016Average rateable value £34,900shops, showrooms and retail warehouses
- Other commercial9,240properties on the rating listUp 22.4% since 2016Average rateable value £29,000pubs, hotels, surgeries, nurseries, garages and more
Gloucestershire estates, from Waterwells to Brockworth
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Gloucestershire, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Waterwells Business ParkGloucester GL2 2AT
- Quedgeley Business ParkGloucester GL2 2AA
- Salmon'S Spring Industrial EstateStroud GL6 6LE
- Gloucester Business ParkBrockworth, Gloucester GL3 4AE
- Brockworth Business ParkGloucester GL3 4AW
- Space Business CentreQuedgeley, Gloucester GL2 4AL
- Quedgeley West Business ParkHardwicke, Gloucester GL2 4PA
- Chase Lane Industrial EstateGloucester GL4 6PH
- Centurion Industrial EstateGloucester GL2 5HY
- Ashville Industrial EstateGloucester GL2 5EU
- Eastern Avenue Trading EstateGloucester GL4 3SJ
- Spillmans Court Business CentreMiddle Spillman's, Stroud GL5 3RU
Across the county, rated premises grew 10.6% since 2016 to 32,360. Industrial units rose 8.8% to 10,130, the largest category, and average £39,000 in rateable value. Offices rose 9.7% and other property 22.4%. Shops held steady, up 0.3%. A large industrial base gives a valuer plenty of comparables, whether the unit is on a Gloucester business park or in a Stroud valley mill.
What cash does a company need to buy business premises in Gloucestershire, UK?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending usually advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, and up to 80% for strong cases. Indicative pricing is 6.0 to 7.5% a year, terms run from 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees are typically 1 to 2%, all subject to status, accounts and valuation. The company funds the balance, the fees and the tax itself.
Gloucestershire is in England, so Stamp Duty Land Tax applies. HMRC's non-residential bands are 0% up to £150,000, 2% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A joinery firm buys a freehold workshop near Stroud for £400,000. A 75% loan is £300,000, so the deposit is £100,000. SDLT comes to £9,500, taking the cash needed to about £109,500 before legal and valuation costs. Our commercial stamp duty guide shows the working.
Who handles planning and security on premises finance across Gloucestershire County?
For local government the county is split in two. Most of it is a non-metropolitan county with six district councils, which deal with planning in their own areas. The south is the unitary authority of South Gloucestershire, whose council belongs to the West of England Combined Authority. A lender's solicitor checks the planning history with whichever council holds it, because an unlawful use can stop a loan completing.
Security is a first legal charge registered at HM Land Registry, often with a debenture or director guarantees alongside. 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. Neighbouring counties are covered from our South West business mortgages page.
Premises finance in Gloucestershire's towns and districts
Gloucester
The cathedral city on the Severn is the county's largest settlement and an inland port, linked by canal to the estuary. Its business base runs from distribution and light industry to financial services, with Gloucester Business Park on the outskirts. Owner-occupiers here buy anything from dockside conversions to modern industrial units close to the M5.
Cheltenham
Immediately east of Gloucester, the Regency spa town mixes tourism and retail with aerospace, electronics and food processing firms. Professional practices and design businesses often look for period offices in the town, while engineering suppliers want light industrial units on its fringes. Listed facades are common, so valuers look closely at condition and permitted use.
Tewkesbury
In the north of the county, where the Severn enters Gloucestershire, Tewkesbury grew around one of the wealthy medieval monasteries. Ashchurch for Tewkesbury station reopened in 1997. Local trading companies typically buy shops and offices in the historic centre or units on the edge of town, and riverside sites need a careful look at flood risk.
Cirencester
The main town in the east of the county sits within the Cotswolds and was home to another of the medieval abbeys. Its businesses lean towards retail, hospitality, professional services and rural trades. Buyers here often want a stone-built shop with offices above, and a protected landscape setting means a lender will check any limits on alterations.
Stroud
Stroud lies in the centre of the county, in the valleys where the Cotswolds drop towards the Severn Vale. Smaller manufacturers, makers and service firms trade from mill buildings, workshops and town-centre premises. Older multi-storey industrial buildings can be harder to value than modern units, so the deposit sometimes needs to be larger.
Yate and the Bristol fringe
The south of the county, including Yate, Filton and Kingswood, falls within South Gloucestershire and much of it is part of the Bristol built-up area. It holds a denser stock of warehouses, trade counters and offices than the rural north. Stations around the North Fringe of Bristol keep it well connected for staff and customers.
Forest of Dean
The uplands west of the Severn were a major iron-producing area in the Middle Ages and later had a small coalfield. Today the Forest and the Wye Valley form a national landscape. Companies here are often in timber, construction, tourism or rural services, buying yards, workshops and hospitality buildings rather than offices.
