Livingston is the largest town in West Lothian and the second-largest settlement in the Lothians after Edinburgh. Designated in 1962 as Scotland's fourth post-war new town, it was built along the River Almond around older villages including Livingston Village and Bellsquarry, about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow. The 2011 census put its population at 56,269. The land was once dominated by oil shale mining, and the bings still mark the landscape.
We arrange business mortgages for trading companies anywhere in Livingston that want to buy or refinance their premises. We are a broker, not a lender. This is commercial finance for the building a business works from, not a residential mortgage.
Which Livingston premises suit an owner-occupier mortgage?
The new town was planned for industry. High-technology and pharmaceutical firms arrived from the 1960s, and Livingston became a hub of Scotland's Silicon Glen, with factories at Houston Industrial Estate and Kirkton Campus. Some big names left from the late 1990s, but many remain: Wyman Gordon makes aircraft components on Houston, where Mitsubishi Electric, Paterson Arran's Royal Burgh Bakery and DS Smith also operate. Kirkton Campus, Scotland's first technology science park, houses Sky UK's biggest UK contact centre, Merck, Edinburgh Instruments and Palletways. Tesco's distribution centre for Scotland and Northern Ireland sits on the northern edge of town.
Smaller firms in their supply chains, food producers, laboratory and instrument makers, and distributors are the typical buyers of units here. Our page on owner-occupier mortgages covers how lenders read such a purchase.
Inside Livingston's business base: retailers, couriers and engineers
ONS UK Business Counts 2026, local units. Figures are for the West Lothian local authority area.
Show as a table
| Sector | Businesses | Livingston share | UK share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction and building trades | 770 | 12.3% | 12.4% |
| Retail | 690 | 11% | 9.3% |
| Professional, scientific and technical | 665 | 10.6% | 13.8% |
| Transport, logistics and storage | 525 | 8.4% | 4.2% |
| Business support services | 525 | 8.4% | 8.1% |
| Restaurants, cafes and pubs | 365 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
| Health and social care | 345 | 5.5% | 5.6% |
| Manufacturing and engineering | 325 | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Personal and other services | 305 | 4.9% | 4.1% |
- 3.2xpostal and courier services235 businesses
- 1.8xrental and leasing75 businesses
- 1.6xwarehousing and logistics80 businesses
- 1.5xroad haulage and land transport205 businesses
A figure of 2.0x means the trade makes up twice the share of local businesses that it does across the UK.
Livingston is the main commercial centre of West Lothian, whose 6,240 businesses include 1,020 small firms, 235 medium sized ones and 30 large employers. Micro businesses make up 79% of the total. Retail accounts for 11% of local units against 9.3% nationally, and rental and leasing firms run at 1.8 times the UK rate, alongside a strong showing from couriers and distribution.
Established companies like these often reach the point where buying a unit at Almondvale or Rosebank makes more sense than renewing a lease. A lender will want to see the repayments covered comfortably by profit, and the valuer will compare the unit with similar stock on the surrounding estates.
How do the M8 and A71 shape business property finance in Livingston, Scotland?
The M8 bounds the town to the north and the A71 to the south, linked by the A899 dual carriageway along the eastern edge, with the A89 running north of the motorway. The central bus terminal on Almondvale Avenue has services to Edinburgh, Edinburgh Airport, Glasgow and towns across the central belt, and Livingston North and Livingston South stations sit on separate lines to both cities.
For a buyer, that connectivity means units here appeal to a wide range of potential occupiers, which supports a lender's view of resale. Highly specialised cleanroom or laboratory fit-outs are the exception, as a valuer may discount the specialist elements.
Livingston business parks, from Almondvale to Alderstone
Named estates and parks listed on Google Maps near Livingston, October 2026. Listed to show where premises trade locally; we have no connection with the owners or agents.
- Almondvale Business ParkLivingston EH54 6GA
- Almondview Business ParkLivingston EH54 6SF
- Alderstone Business ParkLivingston EH54 7EX
- Dedridge East Industrial EstateLivingston EH54 6QD
- OakBank Industrial EstateLivingston EH53 0TN
- Rosebank Business ParkLivingston Village, Livingston EH54 7EJ
- Icon Business ParkKirkton Campus, Livingston Village, Livingston EH54 7AZ
- Brucefield Industrial EstateBellsquarry, Livingston EH54 9BX
- Houston Industrial EstateLivingston EH54 5DJ
- Eliburn Industrial ParkLivingston
- Interchange Business ParkLivingston EH54 5DW
- Nasmyth Court Houstoun Industrial EstateLivingston EH54 5EG
What does a commercial property loan in Livingston, West Lothian cost?
Lenders active in owner-occupier lending typically advance 70 to 75% of value at indicative rates of 6.0 to 7.5% a year, subject to status, accounts and valuation, over 5 to 25 years. Land and Buildings Transaction Tax is payable to Revenue Scotland; our guide to LBTT and commercial stamp duty sets out the bands (rates as at October 2026; check the current rates before you buy).
Illustrative example. A food manufacturer buys a unit on Brucefield Industrial Estate for £500,000. A 75% loan is £375,000 and the deposit £125,000. LBTT is £13,500, so the business needs about £138,500 before legal and valuation fees.
Under Scots law, missives conclude the contract and the lender takes a standard security registered with Registers of Scotland. West Lothian Council is the planning authority. Loans to limited companies for their own premises sit outside the FCA's regulated mortgage perimeter; we refer regulated cases to an authorised firm. Bathgate, Linlithgow and the rest of the county are on our West Lothian commercial mortgages page.
Industrial estates and districts in Livingston
Houston Industrial Estate
One of the original Silicon Glen sites, Houston is home to Wyman Gordon, Mitsubishi Electric, Paterson Arran and DS Smith. Manufacturing and food businesses buy units here, often with offices attached.
Kirkton Campus
Developed from the 1970s as Scotland's first technology science park, with 300 acres of landscaped offices and factory sites along the Killandean Burn and River Almond. Instrument makers, pharmaceutical firms, offices and distributors occupy it today.
Brucefield Industrial Estate
West of Bellsquarry, Brucefield holds Diet Chef, ScoMac and Snag Tights. Smaller manufacturers and food businesses look for units here, which lenders generally treat as standard industrial security.
Deans Industrial Estate
In the north of the town, Deans hosts Schuh's head office and customer service centre. Its units suit distribution, trade and light industrial buyers close to the M8.
Almondvale town centre
The River Almond runs through the centre, where The Centre and Livingston Designer Outlet form a very large retail destination. Service businesses and practices buy offices and shops in the surrounding streets.
