Falkirk Business Hub sold to East Lothian firm

Bellair Scotland handed the keys of the Vicar Street premises – home to over 30 businesses and 150 people – over to Tartan Commercial Ltd, who are also owners of The Lighthouse business centre in North Berwick.

It was stated it will be business as usual for tenants, with Tartan Commercial keen to keep Falkirk Business Hub operating as normal and the existing management

team will remain with Bellair chairman Alistair Campbell joining Tartan Commercial as a non-executive director to provide both continuity during the handover period as well as helping the growth of the wider business.

Tartan Commercial managing director Nick Watson will replace Colin Campbell as managing director of Falkirk Business Hub.

The Bellair team admitted the decision to sell the hub was a hard one.

They took the former home of the town’s General Post Office and renovated it in 2013 to create a modern, vibrant business centre. It now provides serviced office

accommodation for a diverse community of businesses ranging from accountants and solicitors to make-up artists and a bustling, award-winning coffee shop.

However, as the only serviced office property in the Bellair portfolio, the team recognised they had taken the Hub as far as they could.

Alistair Campbell said: “We didn’t take the decision to sell lightly. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Falkirk Business Hub. It’s become an important focal point for the local business community and a great marker for the town.

“Bellair is now moving in a different direction with a focus on different commercial property investments. We’ve made sure we are selling to the right people who will

build on the success of the Hub and are committed to its continued success in the future.”

One of the properties Bellair is investing in is the former Burton building in Falkirk High Street.

The firm is planning to convert the premises, which closed down a couple of years ago, into two ground floor retail units and three first floor flats.

Colin Campbell, managing director of Bellair, said: “We want to create two relatively small retail units with one front facing onto the High Street. Then we want to create three two-bedroom flats above.

“Our goal here is to take a redundant building in a key location in Falkirk’s High Street and re-purpose it for the benefit of the town. Our proposed floor plan for the retail units and three apartments is in keeping with the council’s plans, with the purposes of getting people back onto the High Street.

Bellair has been in talks with Falkirk Council planners to try and make this happen.

Meanwhile the new boss at Falkirk Business Hub is excited to get to know the existing tenants.

Nick Watson said: “We’re great admirers of what has been achieved at Falkirk Business Hub. We see it as the benchmark for serviced office accommodation in Scotland and we’re keen to maintain its success in the town.

“We feel it sits perfectly alongside our first Business Centre in North Berwick and indeed will be looking to incorporate some learnings from Falkirk to our existing operation.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to expand our business.”