Clackmannanshire is a historic county, council area and lieutenancy area bordering Stirling, Fife and Perth and Kinross, separated from Falkirk to the south by the Firth of Forth. As Britain's smallest historic county it is nicknamed "The Wee County", and it is often shortened to Clacks. It is also the smallest council area in mainland Scotland by population, with 51,610 people in 2025, around half of them in Alloa, the main town and administrative centre.
We broker commercial mortgages and do not lend. We arrange finance for limited companies that want to buy, or refinance, the premises they trade from anywhere in Clackmannanshire. This is borrowing secured on business property, not a residential mortgage.
Which premises do businesses in the Wee County buy?
The main industries are agriculture and brewing, and coal mining was once important. Alloa still has a large glass works, and in 2006 permission was given for a waterfront development of the Docks area of Alloa, in decline since the 1960s. Those threads shape the owner-occupier market: food and drink producers, brewers and their suppliers, engineering and fabrication shops, farm businesses, trade counters and the shops and offices of the town centres.
Most buildings bought by local companies are modest: a light industrial unit, a workshop with a yard, a shop with offices or a flat above, or a small office. An owner-occupier mortgage covers all of these when the company occupies the building and repays from trading profit.
Shops, cafes and small makers in Alloa, Alva, Tillicoultry and Dollar
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Clackmannanshire share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail | 175 | 12.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 165 | 11.5% | 13.9% |
| Construction and building trades | 155 | 10.8% | 12.4% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 115 | 8% | 6.2% |
| Business support services | 115 | 8% | 8.1% |
| Health and social care | 95 | 6.6% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 85 | 5.9% | 4.2% |
| Personal and other services | 75 | 5.2% | 4.1% |
| Property | 70 | 4.9% | 4.5% |
- 1.8xsocial work and day care45 businesses
- 1.4xcleaning and facilities management50 businesses
- 1.3xretail175 businesses
- 1.3xpersonal services55 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
With 1,435 business units, Clackmannanshire is a compact market, and just 255 of them are small or medium-sized firms. Retail is unusually strong at 12.2% of businesses against 9.3% nationally, and restaurants, cafes and pubs run at 8% against 6.2%. Manufacturing and engineering is 1.39 times the UK share.
In a market this size, comparable sales are scarce. A valuer pricing a shop or cafe in one of the hillfoots towns may need to draw on evidence from Stirling or Falkirk, so an application with strong trading figures carries more of the case.
How did the 2008 rail and bridge links change commercial property loans in Clacks?
Before 2008 the county had no active railway stations. Alloa station reopened in May 2008 on a new line between Stirling and Kincardine, with an hourly passenger service to Stirling and Glasgow Queen Street and freight trains on to Kincardine. The Clackmannanshire Bridge, a new road crossing of the Forth that eases pressure on the older Kincardine Bridge, opened the same year. The A91 between Bannockburn and St Andrews is the main road through the Hillfoots.
Better connections make premises easier to re-let or sell, which a valuer takes into account. Units with quick access to the station or the bridge approaches suit distribution and trade businesses serving both sides of the Forth. Because coal was worked here, lenders often ask for a mining report on older sites, and your solicitor can order one at the start.
Clackmannanshire estates, from Alva to Castlebridge Business Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Clackmannanshire, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Alva Industrial EstateAlva FK12 5DQ
- Alloa Business CentreAlloa FK10 3SA
- Castlebridge Business ParkAlloa FK10 3PZ
- Bandeath Industrial EstateThrosk, Stirling FK7 7NP
- Alexa Business ParkMain St, Fallin, Stirling FK7 7HT
- Old Mill Industrial EstateFalkirk FK2 8BF
- Springkerse Industrial EstateStirling
- Broadleys Business ParkStirling FK7 7WU
- Stirling Industrial ParkCowie, Stirling FK7 7BP
- Phoenix Industrial EstateStirling FK7 7SG
- Thistle Industrial EstateStirling FK7 7QQ
- STEP Stirling Business CentreWellgreen Rd, Stirling FK8 2DZ
What does a commercial property loan in Clackmannanshire, Scotland cost?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically lend 70 to 75% of the price or valuation, up to 80% for strong cases, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year for owner-occupiers, subject to status, accounts and valuation. Terms run from 5 to 25 years and arrangement fees are usually 1 to 2%.
The tax is Land and Buildings Transaction Tax. Revenue Scotland's non-residential bands are 0% up to £150,000, 1% 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 brewery supplier buys a freehold industrial unit for £280,000. A 75% loan is £210,000, leaving a £70,000 deposit, and LBTT is £2,500, so the company needs around £72,500 before fees. The business mortgage costs page lists the fees to budget for.
Planning and security for premises finance in the County of Clackmannan
Clackmannanshire Council, based in Alloa, is the planning authority across the county, and the lender's solicitor will check that the building's use is lawful before releasing funds. Under Scots law the purchase binds once missives conclude, so we aim to have the loan offer in place first. The lender's standard security is then registered in the Land Register of Scotland.
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 the rest of the country, see business mortgages in Scotland.
Towns in Clackmannanshire where companies buy premises
Alloa
The main town and administrative centre sits on the north bank of the Forth and holds around half the county's population. Its economy now centres on retail and leisure, alongside the surviving brewer and glassmaker. See our Alloa commercial mortgages page for more detail.
Tullibody
Tullibody, north-west of Alloa with Lornshill between them, was historically linked to Alloa as one parish, and Alloa is about twice its size. Local shops, trades and service businesses make up most of the commercial property, and buyers usually want small units close to Alloa.
Clackmannan
The town that gave the county its name lies beside the Black Devon river, which flows past it to join the Forth near Alloa. Its businesses are mostly local shops, trades and services, and smaller premises like these are often bought by owners who have rented them for years.
The Hillfoots Villages
Strung along the foot of the Ochil Hills on the line of the Ochil Fault, the Hillfoots Villages include Tillicoultry and Dollar, once served by the Devon Valley Railway. The A91 runs through them. Workshops, shops and hospitality businesses are typical owner-occupier purchases here.
