Inward Investment Profile

Key Contact: Alice Sinnet Business Gateway Manager, West Lothian Council

Tel: 01506 777 924 Email: [email protected]

West Lothian’s strategic location between Edinburgh and Glasgow makes it Scotland’s hub.

West Lothian has the youngest, fastest growing population in Scotland, a business friendly community and a track record in attracting inward investors.

West Lothian has direct access to Scotland’s major academic, research and innovation facilities and links to key worldwide markets through rail, road, air and sea facilities – notably Edinburgh airport, Grangemouth docks, Rosyth ferry terminal and Eurocentral rail freight hub.

West Lothian’s strength as a business location is mirrored by its reputation as a great place to live and visit.

West Lothian has a vibrant economy that benefits from being located in the wider metropolitan regions of Edinburgh and Glasgow, making West Lothian Scotland’s hub.

60% of Scotland’s population, some 3 million people, and an estimated 54% of Scotland’s businesses, are within a one-hour travel time.

30% lower property costs than Edinburgh or Glasgow, yet only 30 minutes drive from the city centres.

Key Statistics

Population 169,510

Area 42,733 hectares

Households 71,351

VAT businesses 3,630

Private sector jobs 59,100

Total jobs 76,300

Residents in work 84,500

Working age jobless 19,200

Average wage levels £10.32 per hour

Main town populations

Livingston 54,740

Bathgate 18,270

Broxburn & Uphall 14,650

Linlithgow 13,360

Armadale 11,410

Whitburn 10,700

East Calder 5,610

Blackburn 5,140

Fauldhouse 4,920 Sources: ONS, WLC, GRO(S)

WEST LOTHIANSCOTLAND’S HUBwww.westlothian.com

WEST LOTHIAN Key facts for investors



WEST LOTHIAN Key sectors

West Lothian has 76,300 jobs and 3,630 VAT registered firms.

The area’s largest private sector employer is Sky Television with over 4,000 employees at their Livingston subscriber centre.

There are strengths in a number of diverse sectors.

Food and Drink – West Lothian has 60 companies and 3,600 employees in this sector including Scotch whisky producers Glenmorangie and Scottish speciality foods manufacturer Paterson Arran.

Life Sciences – the area supports a significant biotechnology and medical products business sector employing over 2,500 employees. The 10 major companies include J&J Medical, Aptuit and Quintiles.

Financial Services – This sector is still important in the nearby capital city of Edinburgh. West Lothian itself has large employers within the sector with approximately 1,500 employees, notably Intelligent Finance.

Electronics – The sector has a very significant presence in West Lothian with 88 firms and 3,000 employees. West Lothian is home to some of the world’s leading companies such as Sun Microsystems and a diverse indigenous electronics and opto-electronics sector, software development and IT services.

Logistics and Distribution – some 200 companies and 5,000 employees in this sector are based in West Lothian. It includes specialist warehouse and freight operators, distribution operations linked to food, drink, electronics and other manufacturing operations and the Scottish distribution hubs for major retail chains, such as such as Scottish Courage, Tesco and Aldi.

Construction – 630 companies and 5,300 employees based in West Lothian. Despite the slow down in house building and construction related activity, employment is still extremely significant to the local economy.

Retail – West Lothian’s visitor potential is reinforced by its strong specialist retail offering. Overall, the sector employs 10,300 employees based in West Lothian, many in the regional shopping centre at The Centre in Livingston, the 3rd largest in Scotland, and the nearby Livingston Designer Outlet.




Road

West Lothian is conveniently located for the M8 and M9, giving excellent access to Scotland’s Central Belt as well as linking directly to the M74 travelling South and M90 travelling North.

The three main towns in West Lothian are less than:

30 mins from Edinburgh

45 mins from Glasgow

Air

Edinburgh airport is located 10 minutes drive from West Lothian. Glasgow airport is less than an hour away.

Direct flights from Edinburgh Airport operate to:

115 worldwide destinations

28 UK locations

84 European locations

1 destination in North America

Direct flights from Glasgow Airport operate to:

84 world-wide destinations

26 UK locations

45 European locations

10 destinations in North America

Both airports offer frequent connections to Europe’s main air hubs – London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris CDG – providing access to worldwide destinations. There are also regular services to all five London airports.

Glasgow also offers direct Emirates flights to Dubai connecting to over 100 worldwide destinations.

Rail

West Lothian has direct rail links from its 10 stations to Edinburgh and Glasgow with onward access to London and the rest of the UK network. Services include:

140 trains daily to Edinburgh

67 trains daily to Glasgow

32 trains daily to Stirling

Freight services at Eurocentral and Grangemouth within 20 minutes drive

Sea

West Lothian is less than 25 mins from Rosyth, which provides direct ferry access to Zeebrugge and mainland Europe. It is also conveniently located for freight services at:

Grangemouth

Leith

Rosyth

West Lothian is one of the best connected areas of Scotland, strategically positioned between the two major cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.


In December 2010 the new £400M Airdrie - Bathgate line will open, adding an additional 4 fast trains per hour from Livingston and Bathgate direct to Glasgow, as well as two new stations at Armadale and Blackridge.

WEST LOTHIAN Transport connections



WEST LOTHIAN Skills infrastructure

West Lothian’s highly skilled workforce is drawn from across the central belt of Scotland giving businesses access to over 2,000,000 potential employees.West Lothian’s Travel To Work Area covers all of Central Scotland including:

Edinburgh

East Lothian

Midlothian

Glasgow

North Lanarkshire

South Lanarkshire

Fife

Falkirk

Stirling

Over 20,000 people commute into West Lothian each day providing a wide employee catchment in addition to West Lothian’s high quality local labourforce.

Universities

West Lothian is at the centre of one of the largest concentrations of higher education in the UK. Nine universities are within easy reach of West Lothian. Edinburgh University

Heriot Watt University

Edinburgh Napier University

Queen Margaret University

Glasgow University

Glasgow Caledonian University

University of Strathclyde

University of the West of Scotland

University of Stirling

West Lothian is also home to two Further Education colleges, West Lothian College and Oatridge College, that work closely with local businesses to develop vocational and work based training programs to increase employees’ skills.

30% of West Lothian’s total working age population are qualified to HND, degree and Higher degree level, above the UK average of 28.4%.

Recruiting and training staff

A single point of contact in West Lothian will link you with multiple training and recruitment partners to assist with all your employment, training and skills development needs.





Population Trends

West Lothian has experienced sustained population and housing growth over the last 40 years. This trend is projected to continue with West Lothian having the highest growth rate for working age population of any local authority in Scotland over the next 20 years. source: GRO 2008

West Lothian Total Population 1991 - 2008 & Projections to 2020

Employment

Total jobs in West Lothian have increased by 19% over the last 10 years to 76,300.

Jobs Growth in West Lothian 1998 - 2008

Livingston, the largest town in West Lothian, was designated a new town in 1962 to help cater for economic and population growth in central Scotland and has now expanded to become Scotland’s seventh largest town or city.

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WEST LOTHIAN Key economic trends



Burnhouse

J4M8

WhitesideWhitehill

The Pyramids

Deans

Starlaw Kirkton

Bruce�eldOakbank

Houston

East Mains

Mill Road

Alba

Industrial Estate

The Alba, Kirkton and Eliburn Campuses in Livingston provide a variety of development opportunities and existing properties in a high quality environment for technology businesses and others.

Livingston is a hub for high specification office accommodation with several recently constructed developments available close to the town centre.

Modern industrial estates, like Oakbank Park and Starlaw Park offer a high quality environment which has proved attractive to technology based manufacturers, as well as distribution and life sciences firms.

J4M8 to the west of Bathgate is a major location for logistics and distribution including the 632,000 sq. ft. Max development, Scotland’s largest ever speculative industrial development.

Typical West Lothian property prices

Warehousing / Distribution £2-4 per sq. ft.

Manufacturing / Industrial £4-6 per sq. ft

Office Accommodation £10-£15 per sq. ft.

Research & Development, Innovation £15-20 per sq. ft.

Land / Greenfield Sites £100,000 to £200,000/acre Our online property search at: www.westlothian.com/propertysearch has a comprehensive listing of all available commercial property in West Lothian - lease and freehold, privately and council owned.

Whatever type of property your business needs - office, industrial or retail - West Lothian has much to offer.


WEST LOTHIAN Industrial estates and property prices



Our team of advisers work closely with key business facing services of the council and our economic development partners. Their role is to make your move as easy as possible.

Some examples of the support we can provide are as follows:

Property listings by type and size including details of the agents for fuller information

Orientation tour of the area to view properties and get a feel of the area

Advice on average wage levels

Support in accessing funding

Assistance with recruitment and training

Links to local business networks

Facilitating meetings with the planning service and other parts of the council


Whatever the scale of the facility you are planning, West Lothian Council’s Business Gateway team is keen to assist you.

”“The infrastructure and quality of

staff within West Lothian provides an excellent environment for companies such as Quintiles to expand, innovate and maintain a competitive advantage. Angus Bell, General Manager, Quintiles.

WEST LOTHIAN Support for investors



If you are not able to identify any suitable premises, our detailed knowledge of the local property market may help us to identify opportunities that are not listed in our search.


WEST LOTHIAN Available property

Inward Investment Profile

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