Growing Business and Employment
We recognise the importance of businesses for job creation and the overall prosperity of the Falkirk area, so to ensure maximum impact, we're focusing on 3 specific aspects:
Business Locations
We're working to enhance the supply of business land and property in the Falkirk area to meet market opportunities.
Take a look at the sites below to see what's been happening…
Abbotsford Business Park, Falkirk
Located on the A9 (Falkirk Northern Distributor Road) in Falkirk, the site is a short distance from the M9 giving easy access to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Perth. Suitable for office and industrial use, plots range in size from 0.85 acres to 8.7 acres.
Colliers CRE are marketing the site and have produced a brochure and information pack| which can be downloaded.
Central Park, Larbert
A prominent business park in Larbert, just north of Falkirk, the site is close to the M876, A9, M8 and M80 motorways, which are the dominant road arterials of Scotland's national motorway network. The Kincardine Bridge is a short drive away giving ready access to Fife and beyond.
A number of well known companies already occupy the business park, including Thomas Cook Direct, HEROtsc, Thom Micro Systems, Springfield Properties Ltd, Central Scotland Police and Mathiesons Foods.
For more information please contact Jennifer Anton at Falkirk Council on 01324 590975 or email jennifer.anton@falkirk.gov.uk|.
Earls Gate Business Park, Grangemouth
Situated in Grangemouth, this site has a long and illustrious history as a major chemical manufacturing site since the early 1900s and Grangemouth today is home to the largest chemical manufacturing industry in Scotland. Owned by Calachem, a fine chemicals company, the park offers quality office accommodation, laboratories, industrial/ workshop buildings and also has sites of between 1 and 20 acres available for development.
The park is near the M9 and M876 motorways, providing easy access to Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow. More information is available on the Earls Gate Park website|.
Glenbervie Business Park, Larbert
A 35 acre business park with office space to let. Just off junction 2 of the M876, the site has great connections to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Perth. The site is in close proximity to another business park, Central Park. Larbert rail station is approximately one mile away. The business park also benefits from a Premier Lodge on the site providing a 60 bed hotel and adjoining public house.
Looking for Business Property in the Falkirk Area?
Try our Business Property Register |or call Jennifer Anton at Falkirk Council on 01324 590975 or email jennifer.anton@falkirk.gov.uk|.
Forthcoming Developments
New Business Park at Gilston
Hansteen Holdings PLC developments have acquired a 90 acre site in Gilston near Falkirk. The site, close to junction 4 of the M9, has planning consent for commercial and residential development. The Scottish Office resolved on appeal to grant outline consent for a mixed use commercial development including a hotel, car dealerships, offices and industrial use.
Falkirk Gateway
Planning permission was lodged in 2006 to create a new development, consisting of an office park, business village, retail park, marina and hotel and leisure complex.
Further details of the plans are outlined on the Falkirk Gateway| site.
Falkirk-Grangemouth Investment Zone
Work is underway to develop a framework for the area which will optimise our strength as Scotland's focal location for chemical sciences, whilst at the same time looking to complement this with emerging opportunities in the areas of renewable energy, manufacturing and logistics.
The Falkirk area has by far the highest concentration of manufacturing activity among Scotland's 32 local authority areas. The area's wealth of industrial enterprise, expertise, technology, skills and sites offer huge potential to new, expanding and relocating businesses.
The project will include actions to help deliver the Grangemouth Freight Hub, as set out in the Scottish Government's National Planning Framework 2. This will address infrastructure constraints and create additional capacity for development. You can read more about this on the Developing Business Connections |page.
You can view the locations of all the above sites on our projects map|.
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Business Support
We're developing our network of support so that local businesses can access training, advice and financial support, enabling them to start up, grow and create employment.
Current sources of support for businesses include:
Falkirk For Business
Falkirk for Business provides business support to the local business community. The organisation was formed in September 2009 as a merger of Falkirk
Business Panel and Falkirk Enterprise Action Trust (FEAT), which has supported businesses in the Falkirk area for over 26 years.
Falkirk For Business advisors offer training and guidance for pre-start preparation, launching your business and the ongoing operation and growth of your business. Numerous networking and training events are held throughout the year. If you run a business, or are thinking of starting or moving a business to the Falkirk area, why not visit Falkirk For Business| and see what they can do for you?
Business Gateway
Business Gateway is the national brand for business support services in Scotland. Falkirk For Business| is the local agency which delivers Business Gateway services in the Falkirk area. For one to one advice or to call in in person, contact Falkirk For Business but for general information and case studies, try browsing the pages of the business gateway website|.
Falkirk Business Panel
The Falkirk Business Panel is a private and public sector partnership set up in 2003 as part of the My Future's in Falkirk economic development initiative, to help develop and promote the Falkirk area economy.
Membership of the Panel is free to any business based in the Falkirk Council area and there are currently over 2000 members.
You can join the panel or find out more about it at Falkirk For Business|.
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Supplier Development Programme
In addition to providing support to the above activities, Falkirk Council has signed up to the Supplier Development Programme. The Programme operates across twenty six local authority areas in Scotland delivering a range of specialist business support activities including the provision of advice, information, and training with the aim of assisting businesses to become more capable of accessing and competing for public sector contracts.
The initiative enables businesses within the Falkirk Council area to access a series of events, materials and events across Scotland. Visit the Supplier Development Programme website| for more information.
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Skills Support
We're creating a network of guidance and support for people to develop their skills and fulfil their potential by securing employment in the Falkirk area.
Opportunities include:
The Employment and Training Unit (ETU)
This is a department within Falkirk Council which aims to help local people of working age to gain the skills and work experience they need to compete in the labour market and get jobs.
A range of schemes are in place to target the needs of priority groups including, amongst others, young people, workless parents, those without qualifications, the long term unemployed and those with disabilities. If you would like help finding work and want to know if you're eligible for any of the ETU's schemes, you can read more about their services |or email the team at etu@falkirk.gov.uk|.
The Employment and Training Unit also work closely with employers who are looking to provide training and employment opportunities. If you're an employer and would like to learn more about the work of the ETU, you can read their Employer Support Guide |or email the team at etu@falkirk.gov.uk|.
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Backing Falkirk's Future
Over 30% of unemployed people in the Falkirk area are under 24 years old. In response to this, the local Workforce Plus partnership have launched "Backing Falkirk's Future"| calling on local employers to help local 18 to 24 year olds gain the skills and work experience they need to compete in the labour market and get jobs.
Local companies can demonstrate their commitment to the scheme by signing up to the Backing Falkirk's Future Employer Pledge. In return, the company receives support to ensure their recruitment needs are met.
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Forth Valley College Campus in Falkirk
We are fortunate to have one of Scotland's top colleges in Falkirk. Forth Valley College is the 5th largest college in Scotland, with campuses in Falkirk, Clackmannan and Stirling. The Falkirk campus operates as the headquarters for the college and plays a key role in supporting both individuals and businesses with specialist training and contributes to the ease with which local employers can recruit a job-ready workforce.
The college recently picked up two awards at the "Business to College" awards, being overall winner in the "Impact – Public sector" category and highly commended in the "innovation" category. You can read more about the projects that won these awards on the college website|.
In 2008, the college announced plans to build completely new campuses at Alloa (Clackmannan) and Stirling. As part of this development there is also a small amount of funding to develop a masterplan for the Falkirk site, which will continue to be the college's headquarters and no doubt continue to play a vital role in training the local populace.
Self Employment and Business Training
Falkirk For Business, the local business support agency, provide training on business start up |and all aspects of running a business, providing the opportunity for individuals to gain the skills needed to become self employed and for local small business owners to train themselves and their staff on relevant issues.
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