Falkirk is one of Scotland's 32 unitary council areas, formed on 1 April 1996 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one of three parts of the old Central region. Before 1975 most of it belonged to the historic county of Stirlingshire, while Bo'ness and Blackness were part of West Lothian. It borders North Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian, and looks across the Firth of Forth to Clackmannanshire and Fife. Falkirk is the largest town, and most of the other settlements, including Bo'ness, Bonnybridge, Denny, Grangemouth, Larbert, Polmont, Shieldhill, Camelon and Stenhousemuir, lie within six miles of its centre.
We are a broker and never a lender. We arrange business mortgages for trading companies that want to buy or refinance the building they occupy anywhere in the Falkirk council area. This is commercial finance secured on your business premises, not a residential mortgage. We look at the accounts and the property, then approach the lenders whose criteria fit.
What premises do Falkirk region firms buy with a business property loan?
The area's economy has been shaped by industry on the Forth. Grangemouth has one of the UK's main ports and Scotland's largest container terminal, and its refinery, one of the largest in Europe and long the main industry of the town and the wider council area, closed in spring 2025. Around that sit engineering, fabrication, haulage, warehousing and maintenance firms, many of them owner-occupiers of industrial units and yards. Larbert has the Forth Valley Royal Hospital, opened in 2010, and the towns between support the usual mix of shops, clinics, trades and offices.
Because so much of the area is within a short drive of Falkirk town centre, firms often have a real choice between a town-centre building and a unit on the edge of a neighbouring settlement. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages sets out what lenders look for when a company buys its own premises, and our Grangemouth business mortgages page covers the port town in more detail.
Hauliers, garages and fabricators in the Falkirk district
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Falkirk share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 570 | 12.4% | 12.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 540 | 11.7% | 13.9% |
| Retail | 505 | 10.9% | 9.3% |
| Business support services | 375 | 8.1% | 8.1% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 320 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 290 | 6.3% | 5.6% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 275 | 6% | 4.2% |
| Personal and other services | 260 | 5.6% | 4.1% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 255 | 5.5% | 4.3% |
- 3.0xtimber and wood products45 businesses
- 2.1xmachinery repair and installation50 businesses
- 1.9xrental and leasing60 businesses
- 1.8xpostal and courier services95 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
The council area's position between Glasgow and Edinburgh shows in its transport count. Transport, logistics and storage makes up 6% of businesses against 4.2% nationally, and postal and courier firms run at 1.75 times the UK share. Motor trade and vehicle repair is 4.1% against 2.9%, and manufacturing and engineering 5.5%.
Hauliers and garages need yard space, vehicle access and room for parking, so sites near the M9 and M876 suit them well. With 890 small and medium firms and 25 large employers, there is a healthy base of companies able to buy rather than lease.
How do LBTT and missives apply to commercial mortgages in Falkirk, Scotland?
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax applies instead of stamp duty. On non-residential property Revenue Scotland charges nothing on the first £150,000, 1% on the slice from £150,001 to £250,000 and 5% on the balance (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy). The return and payment are due within 30 days, and the tax comes from your own funds.
Illustrative example. A fabrication company buys a light industrial unit near Falkirk for £450,000. A 75% loan is £337,500 and the deposit £112,500. LBTT on £450,000 is £11,000, so the company needs roughly £123,500 in cash before legal and valuation fees. Our guide to stamp duty on commercial property shows the same purchase in the other UK nations.
The legal process is Scottish. The solicitors conclude missives, which bind both sides, and the lender takes a standard security over the property, registered in the Land Register of Scotland. Your loan offer should be agreed before missives conclude.
Falkirk estates from Tamfourhill to Callendar Business Park
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Falkirk, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Tamfourhill Industrial EstateFalkirk FK1 4RT
- Callender Business ParkFalkirk FK1 1XR
- Redding Industrial EstateFalkirk FK2 9TT
- Callendar Business ParkFalkirk FK1 1XR
- Laurieston Industrial EstateLaurieston, Falkirk FK2 9JU
- Redhouse Industrial EstateFalkirk FK2 0DT
- Ochilview Business ParkFalkirk FK2 9PJ
- Bryson Industrial EstateFalkirk FK2 7BT
- BURNBANK INDUSTRIAL ESTATEFalkirk FK2 7PE
- Granary Square Business ParkFalkirk FK2 7XJ
- Ironworks Business CentreCastlelaurie Industrial Estate, Ironworks Business Centre, Falkirk FK2 7XE
- Middlefield Industrial EstateFalkirk FK2 9HQ
Commercial property finance in the Falkirk area's towns
Falkirk
The largest town and the centre of the council area, Falkirk has stations at Falkirk High and Falkirk Grahamston and a town centre of shops, offices and hospitality. Its business buyers range from professional firms and clinics to retailers and trades businesses, and the town's central position makes it a natural base for firms covering the whole Forth Valley.
Grangemouth
Grangemouth grew as a port on the Forth and Clyde Canal and became the area's industrial engine. Its port handles about 9 million tonnes of cargo a year, and its motorway links support intermodal freight. Logistics, engineering and maintenance firms buy yards, warehouses and workshops here, and lenders will look at how the business has adapted since the refinery closed.
Larbert and Stenhousemuir
These neighbouring towns north-west of Falkirk are home to the Forth Valley Royal Hospital, which took over major services from the Falkirk and Stirling hospitals. Healthcare practices, pharmacies, care providers and local service businesses buy premises here, alongside shops and trades firms serving a growing residential area.
Bo'ness
Bo'ness sits on the Forth to the east of Grangemouth and, with Blackness, was historically part of West Lothian. It has an older town centre with shops and hospitality, and heritage tourism on the waterfront. Owner-occupiers here typically buy shops, cafés, workshops and small industrial units.
Denny and Bonnybridge
Denny and Bonnybridge lie to the west of Falkirk towards the boundary with North Lanarkshire and Stirling. Their business stock is a mix of local shops, garages, workshops and small industrial units, suited to construction, motor and engineering businesses that want good road access across central Scotland.
Polmont and Camelon
Polmont lies east of Falkirk with its own station, while Camelon sits on the western side of the town near the canal network. Both are mainly residential with neighbourhood shopping, so purchases tend to be shops, clinics, nurseries and small units, some with flats above that make the loan semi-commercial.
