Coleraine, from the Irish Cúil Raithin, "nook of the ferns", is a market town and civil parish near the mouth of the River Bann. It lies 55 miles north-west of Belfast and 30 miles east of Derry, with major roads and railway connections to both, and had 24,483 people at the 2021 census. The town has a large catchment area, is designated a "major growth area" in the Northern Ireland Development Strategy, and is part of the Causeway Coast and Glens district.
We are a broker; we never lend. We arrange business mortgages for limited companies in Coleraine that want to buy their premises, or refinance a building they already own. It is commercial finance on a trading company's workplace, distinct from a residential mortgage, and our role is to match the company to the lenders whose criteria fit.
Who buys business premises in Coleraine Town with an owner-occupier mortgage?
As the main centre for a wide catchment, Coleraine draws retailers, professional firms, health practices and service businesses into the town, while trades, motor businesses and agricultural suppliers need workshops and yards on its edges. The town once made Coleraine Cheddar and Coleraine Whiskey, though both are now produced elsewhere: the cheese in Portadown and the whiskey by Irish Distillers in Cork.
For a company buying its own building, an owner-occupier mortgage at an indicative 6.0 to 7.5% a year is the usual route. Pharmacies, dental surgeries and franchise outlets can also look at our practice and franchise mortgages page. Figures are indicative, subject to status, accounts and valuation.
What Coleraine and the Causeway Coast trade in
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Causeway Coast and Glens local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Coleraine share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Farming, forestry and fishing | 2,030 | 26.9% | 4.5% |
| Construction and building trades | 1,080 | 14.3% | 12.5% |
| Retail | 670 | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 410 | 5.4% | 6.1% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 360 | 4.8% | 14.1% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 355 | 4.7% | 4.3% |
| Health and social care | 325 | 4.3% | 5.7% |
| Education | 280 | 3.7% | 2.6% |
| Motor trade and vehicle repair | 275 | 3.6% | 2.9% |
- 6.4xfarming2,010 businesses
- 2.7xenergy supply50 businesses
- 2.1xmembership organisations135 businesses
- 1.8xtimber and wood products45 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Across Causeway Coast and Glens, farming, forestry and fishing accounts for 26.9% of local businesses, roughly six times the UK share of 4.5%. Few of those 2,030 farm businesses borrow against a town building, but the merchants, machinery dealers and hauliers who serve them are natural buyers of Coleraine yards and sheds.
Motor trade and vehicle repair sits at 3.6% against 2.9% nationally, and education at 3.7% against 2.6%. A garage with a forecourt or a training provider with its own classrooms is valued with its trading use in mind, so recent accounts matter as much as the building itself.
How do lenders view town-centre premises finance in Coleraine on the north coast?
Wikipedia notes widespread concern that Coleraine's high street has seen a steady decline, with shops closing, and that the town sits in one of the poorer council areas in Northern Ireland. Lenders will be aware of that. It does not stop a loan, but a valuer will look carefully at how easily a retail unit could be relet, and the lender will lean more on the strength of the business's own accounts.
A company that has traded profitably from the same shop for years, with clear management figures, is a much stronger case than the building alone suggests. Units that could switch to other uses, such as offices, clinics or food and drink, also tend to value better than single-use retail.
Coleraine's industrial ground, from Loguestown to Spittal Hill
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Coleraine, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Beresford Business CentreLondonderry, Coleraine BT52 1HE
- Sperrin Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2EB
- Sperrin Business ParkColeraine BT52 2DH
- Spittal Hill Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2BY
- Newmills Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2JR
- NEWMILLS Business ParkColeraine BT52 2JR
- Loguestown Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2NS
- Northbrook Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2JB
- Loughanhill Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2NR
- Strand House Loughanhill Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2NR
- Louganhill Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2NR
- Coleraine Enterprise Centre Loughanhill Industrial EstateColeraine BT52 2NJ
What does buying commercial property in the Coleraine area cost up front?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending usually advance 70 to 75% of the lower of price and valuation, with 80% for strong cases, over 5 to 25 years. Arrangement fees are typically 1 to 2%. Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in Northern Ireland: HMRC charges nothing on the first £150,000, 2% on the band to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 for non-residential property (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. An optician buys the freehold of a shop near The Diamond for £260,000. A 75% loan is £195,000, leaving a £65,000 deposit. SDLT is £2,500, so the business needs about £67,500 before legal and valuation fees. A Northern Ireland solicitor registers the lender's charge through Land and Property Services. Our Causeway Coast and Glens page covers Portrush, Ballymoney and Limavady.
Coleraine areas where businesses buy premises
The Diamond and town centre
The town square, called The Diamond, holds Coleraine Town Hall. Shops, cafés, banks and professional offices surround it, and many buildings have upper floors that lenders treat as semi-commercial.
The Bann bridges
Coleraine is at the lowest bridgeable point of the Bann, where the river is 90 metres wide, crossed by the Sandelford Bridge, Coleraine Bridge and the Bann Bridge. Riverside commercial buildings here need a check on flood risk and access.
Railway station quarter
The station, opened in 1855, shares facilities with the Ulsterbus depot and serves the Belfast to Derry line and the Portrush branch. Offices and service businesses value being close to it.
Ballysally
A residential district of Coleraine. Neighbourhood shops, takeaways and local service businesses buy single units here rather than larger premises.
