“Angus is home to many thriving and innovative businesses, global companies and exporters” – NovaLoca interview with Angus Council
Angus is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland, a registration county and a lieutenancy area. The council area borders Aberdeenshire, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross. Angus is also commonly know as “the birthplace of Scotland”.
We spoke with Business Angus, Angus Council’s business team, who pride themsleves on helping businesses to invest and thrive in Angus. Angus has a range of properties to offer including industrial premises, warehouses, offices and workshops, together with development land in a number of strategic locations. You can read the full interview below:
What has business been like for Angus Council in 2016?
We currently own and manage over 100 business units providing over 200,000 sq ft of space and have development land available in Forfar, Brechin and Montrose.
The recent economic downturn has not had a significant impact on the letting of our business units with the occupancy levels remaining around 90%. With our development land there is still a healthy number of enquiries regarding inward investment.
Have you seen any trends emerging in the market this year?
Over the past few years we have noticed that there has been a reduction in demand for office accommodation. A recent report by the Federation of Small Businesses supports this trend and indicates that:
“It is well known that small businesses, sole traders and the self-employed form the backbone of the economy. What is less appreciated is that more than half of these businesses operate in, or from, the home. The Scottish Government estimates that 56% of businesses in Scotland are home-based.”
As the majority of companies in Angus are micro-businesses employing fewer than 10 people, this could be a factor in the trend.
Are there any particular challenges you face when doing business in your area?
One of the challenges for Angus and the rest of the Scotland are the recent changes to the rates relief on empty buildings. In the past, vacant properties were exempt from paying rates on their empty building stock (industrial or office), however in April 2016 this changed and there is now a phased charging regime in place.
As agents, we need to think smarter and our investment team are working hard with the promotion of our own vacant properties and other commercial premises in the area to fill all of our commercial stock. The use of social media has been working well and the advertising on NovaLoca and Angus Council (Business Angus) website continues to be key.
Are there any projects or developments that you are particularly excited about at the moment?
We are home to many thriving and innovative businesses, global companies and exporters at the leading edge of technological design. We may be a small county but we are definitely big on ambition. The Business Angus team at Angus Council want to help businesses invest, work, grow and thrive in Angus.
The regeneration of Montrose South is a very exciting development for us and a project that will help strengthen the long term economic prosperity of the area.
With partners, we are facilitating the physical regeneration and environmental improvement of the area and in the process create business opportunities for Montrose Port, port users and the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pharmaceutical plant.
Our plan, has to date, attracted over £100 million of private sector investment with the Council’s direct contribution of £3.1 million. This activity will add £21.2 million of gross value added (GVA) per annum to the national economy.
What are the benefits for businesses who are considering relocating to Angus?
Angus is home to many thriving and innovative businesses, global companies and exporters at the leading edge of technological design.
Funding – Businesses can benefit from an extensive range of grants and loans, international trade activities and key sector development programmes.
Cost effective property solutions – In Angus we have lower property and land costs than surrounding areas, meaning that businesses are able to get more for their money. We work closely with investors to find the property or land which meets their needs and provide a complete solution with a range of available business support programmes and network of contacts.
Skilled workforce – Almost 9% more school leavers in Angus go into further education than the Scottish average. Almost three quarters of school leavers in Angus go into Higher Education, Further Education or other training.
Excellent infrastructure – Angus is well connected by road, rail, sea and air with convenient transportation links and infrastructure available to support the business needs of our diverse region.
Proximity to the energy sector in Aberdeen – Energy sector businesses find Angus a cost effective solution within a strong manufacturing base in the area, with the added benefit of port access at Montrose and the availability of skilled staff.
Business advice – There is a wide range of business advice and support available to Angus companies from 1 to 1 sessions with experienced business counsellors to business support initiatives, such as the Supplier Development Programme. The Business Angus team can provide tailored recruitment drives and selection for both local and inward investment businesses.
Quality of life – Angus has a rich heritage, a stunning landscape and a strong sense of community. People enjoy living in Angus with its low crime rates, a wide choice of leisure activities, high standards of education, lower cost of housing and a mouth-watering larder of local produce on their doorstep.
Strong manufacturing sector – The Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (EAM) sector is a large and important component of the Angus economy, accounting for almost a third of all economic output from the area.
Our Business Angus team are keen to help anyone looking to invest in our area and ready to provide support! Information about our properties currently available in Angus is available from the Investment and Skills team and on our Business Angus website.
Business Angus and NovaLoca
As part of our commitment to our local businesses, our partnership with NovaLoca allows those with commercial property in the Angus local authority area the opportunity to list their available property on the NovaLoca website without charge.
If you have any available property in Angus, please send the details through to nicky@novaloca.com and they will add the property listings for you.
