Commercial Property in the Scottish Highlands, Islands, Ayrshire and the Borders (2026)
The regions of Scotland outside the Central Belt and Aberdeen serve distinctive economic geographies — the tourism, energy, and agricultural economy of the Highlands and Islands; Ayrshire's manufacturing and coastal economy; the rural economy of the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway; and Fife's combination of St Andrews tourism and Dunfermline's Edinburgh commuter commercial market.
Scotland's commercial property markets beyond the Central Belt cities and Aberdeen are characterised by geographic remoteness, agricultural and tourism economies, limited new commercial development, and strong owner-occupier demand for freehold premises.
Inverness and the Highlands
Inverness is the regional capital of the Scottish Highlands — a city of approximately 50,000 people serving an enormous hinterland economy of tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, and renewable energy. Commercial property demand in Inverness is concentrated around the city centre and the Inverness Campus (a science and technology park adjacent to the University of the Highlands and Islands).
The Highlands and Islands' renewable energy economy — offshore wind, tidal and wave energy, pumped hydro, and increasingly hydrogen — is generating growing demand for specialist industrial, R&D, and operational base facilities in coastal and harbour locations across the region.
Industrial rents in Inverness run from approximately £6–£9 per sq ft. Office rents in the city centre and at Inverness Campus are approximately £12–£17 per sq ft.
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a county of manufacturing towns — Kilmarnock (packaging and engineering), Irvine (pharmaceuticals, including AstraZeneca at Irvine and GlaxoSmithKline nearby), and Ayr (professional services and tourism). The county's industrial market benefits from A77 and M77 access to Glasgow (approximately 30 minutes from the A77/M77 junction).
GlaxoSmithKline's manufacturing operation at Irvine is one of Scotland's most significant pharmaceutical facilities, generating supply chain demand in the North Ayrshire area. The Irvine Bay Regeneration programme is transforming the former Irvine New Town commercial estate.
Fife
Fife's commercial property market divides between the Edinburgh commuter corridor (Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy) and the tourism and university economy of St Andrews and North East Fife.
Dunfermline is the most commercially active Fife location — a growing town with direct rail services to Edinburgh (approximately 25 minutes) and motorway access via the M90. Carnegie Court and the wider Dunfermline Business Park serve professional services and technology occupiers benefiting from Edinburgh proximity at lower costs.
St Andrews is primarily a tourism and higher education economy, with limited commercial property supply and demand driven by the University of St Andrews and the international golf tourism economy.
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders — Peebles, Galashiels, Hawick, Kelso, and Jedburgh — serve a rural economy historically anchored in woollen textiles and agriculture, now supplemented by food and drink, tourism, and professional services. The Borders Railway (reopened 2015) connecting Galashiels and Tweedbank to Edinburgh has improved commuter access but commercial property demand remains modest.
Dumfries and Galloway
Dumfries is the principal commercial centre for Scotland's south-west — a rural economy of agriculture, food processing, renewable energy, and tourism. Commercial rents here are among Scotland's lowest, reflecting the market's remoteness from the Central Belt and limited inward investment.
Looking for commercial space in the Scottish Highlands, Islands, Ayrshire, Fife, or Borders? Post your requirement on RE:match — landlords and agents will respond directly.
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