Alloa is a town in Clackmannanshire in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, on the north bank of the Forth at the spot where some say the River Forth becomes the Firth of Forth. It lies south of the Ochil Hills, six miles east of Stirling and 13 miles west of Dunfermline, and is the administrative centre of Clackmannanshire Council. Its population was estimated at approximately 20,730 in 2016.
We are a broker, not a lender. In Alloa we arrange business mortgages for limited companies that want to buy the building they trade from, or refinance one they already own. It is commercial lending on a trading company's premises, not a residential mortgage.
What premises do businesses in Alloa, Clackmannanshire buy?
Alloa's economy once relied heavily on trade between Glasgow and mainland Europe through its port, which became uncompetitive and stopped operating in 1970. Since the major industries closed, the local economy has centred on retail and leisure, and only one brewer and one glassmaker survive.
So the typical buyer here is a retailer, a café or restaurant, a gym or leisure operator, a professional practice, or a trades business needing a workshop. The brewer and glassmaker support suppliers, hauliers and maintenance firms that need light industrial units. Our page on business mortgages explains how a company buys its premises, and refinancing business premises covers owners after a better rate.
Care, salons and retail: the Alloa business mix
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the Clackmannanshire local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Alloa 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.
The Clackmannanshire figures behind Alloa show a service-led economy. Health and social care makes up 6.6% of businesses against 5.6% across the UK, with social work services without accommodation, such as home care and day centres, at 1.82 times the national share. Personal services, from hairdressers to beauty salons, sit at 5.2% against 4.1%.
Care providers buying a day centre or home are lent on as trading businesses, and the 7.0 to 9.0% band is typical. A salon buying its own shop on the high street is a simpler owner-occupier case, judged mainly on the accounts and the unit's location.
Why might a lender want a mining report before a commercial property loan in Alloa?
When the Stirling to Alloa to Kincardine rail link was built, the work included new drainage and the grouting of a large number of shallow mine workings. That is a reminder that ground beneath parts of the town was mined, and a lender or valuer may ask for a mining report on an older building or a site near former workings. Your solicitor can order it at the start so it does not hold up the offer.
The same project added a bypass road and a bridge replacing a level crossing. After the Stirling to Alloa to Dunfermline line closed in 1968 and the Devon Valley Railway in 1973, the town had no passenger trains for 40 years until the station reopened in May 2008. ScotRail now runs a half-hourly service to Glasgow Queen Street via Stirling, Larbert and Croy, with changes at Stirling for Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen. For offices and professional firms, that link widens the pool of staff and clients.
Where Alloa firms own units: Alloa Business Centre and Alexa
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Alloa, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Alloa Business CentreAlloa FK10 3SA
- Alva Industrial EstateAlva FK12 5DQ
- Bandeath Industrial EstateThrosk, Stirling FK7 7NP
- Alexa Business ParkFallin, Stirling FK7 7HT
- Castlebridge Business ParkAlloa FK10 3PZ
What will premises finance in Alloa, UK cost up front?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically lend 70 to 75% of the price or valuation over 5 to 25 years, at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year for owner-occupiers, subject to status, accounts and valuation. The purchase pays Land and Buildings Transaction Tax to Revenue Scotland: 0% up to £150,000, 1% from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% above £250,000 on non-residential property (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A leisure operator buys a freehold unit near the town centre for £320,000. A 75% loan is £240,000 and the deposit £80,000. LBTT is £4,500, so the company needs about £84,500 before fees. See our guide to LBTT and stamp duty.
Clackmannanshire Council is the planning authority, and the lender's standard security is registered with Registers of Scotland after missives conclude and the purchase settles. 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. Our Clackmannanshire business mortgages page covers the rest of the county.
Parts of Alloa where companies own premises
Alloa town centre
As the administrative centre of Clackmannanshire Council, Alloa's centre combines public offices with shops, cafés, professional practices and leisure venues. Retail and leisure are now the backbone of the local economy, so most purchases here are shop units, offices and premises with accommodation above.
The Docks and waterfront
The Docks area has been in decline since the 1960s, and permission for a waterfront development was granted in 2006. Former port land can offer larger sites for businesses needing space, but lenders look closely at condition, access and planning status before they commit.
Lornshill and Tullibody
Lornshill lies between Alloa and Tullibody, its north-western neighbour and roughly half its size. Local trades, service firms and shops here serve both communities, and small industrial or retail units are the usual purchases.
The station and bypass
The railway station reopened in 2008 a short distance east of its old site, and the rail project brought a new bypass road. Businesses that need staff or clients arriving by train, or vehicle access that avoids the town streets, tend to look at premises around these routes.
