Let’s talk industrial estates. Most of them? Functional. Forgettable. A leftover from the last century. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
At Mill Road Industrial Estate in Linlithgow, we’ve tried something different. A modern, secure, well-managed estate that’s built for how businesses work today. I own the bulk of the site through SRA Ventures, and we’re actively investing in making it a real hub for innovative, scalable enterprise. Not just rows of sheds.
And it’s working. Our tenants are growing. We’re attracting serious interest. The estate is evolving fast. It’s become a quiet success story. I think it offers a bit of a blueprint for how small industrial sites across Scotland should be feeling.
Let’s Be Honest: Most Industrial Estates Are Stuck in the Past
Drive around West Lothian, Falkirk, or the outskirts of any Scottish town, and you’ll find plenty of commercial estates. But how many work for the people running businesses inside them?
Too many are poorly laid out, hard to access, under-invested, or frankly unsafe. They were built in the 70s, patched up in the 90s, and left to limp on ever since.
That’s not good enough anymore. Not for tradespeople trying to run tight operations. Not for e-commerce businesses shipping nationwide. Not for anyone who wants to grow without tripping over planning issues, broken gates, or poor visibility.
What We’ve Done at Mill Road
Mill Road isn’t a vanity project. It’s a working estate that’s been built step by step with proper business logic. The site is clean. It’s secure. Fully monitored. Well-connected. That’s the baseline. Not the bonus.
It’s also home to operators who are raising the bar in their sectors. Boxxs Self Storage is a great example. Through SRA Ventures, we’ve backed Boxxs. And they’ve done something brilliant. They’ve turned traditional container storage into something professional, secure, and user-friendly. They’ve introduced Strongholds, custom-built storage units that are insulated, tech-enabled, and designed for urban settings. They’ve got a waiting list. That tells you everything.
They’ve also installed a permanent street art exhibition by The Rebel Bear. Sounds mad, right? But it works. It gives the place personality. It brings in visitors. It shows that not every industrial site has to look like a scrapyard.
You can read their blog on how Mill Road helps them deliver a better experience:
📖 Read the Boxxs blog
What’s Next? NexSpace
Next to Boxxs, SRA Ventures is now developing NexSpace. A new generation of micro-warehouses. Built from the ground up to meet the needs of modern trades, e-commerce sellers, and small-scale manufacturers.
Every unit is factory-built with an EPC A rating. Each one includes a glazed office, roller access, and solar on the roof. EV charging, secure access, and a clean layout are standard features. You move in. Plug in. Get to work. No delays. No fit-out headaches.
This isn’t just a smarter space. It’s space that enables businesses to move faster. Trade more effectively. Grow. We’re on track to complete NexSpace by the end of 2025.
Why It Matters
Scotland has thousands of small businesses seeking suitable office space. But the supply is poor. Mill Road demonstrates what happens when you treat an industrial estate as a growth platform. Not just a patch of land to lease out.
We’ve got infrastructure that makes life easier. We’ve got tenants who are thriving. We’ve got new developments on the horizon that will raise the standard even further.
This isn’t about building the biggest site. It’s about creating the smartest one. Doing it in a way that enables small and medium-sized businesses to scale, stay local, and succeed.
Final Word
If you’re in the market for storage, workspace, or just a better setup to run your operation, take a look at what we’re doing at Mill Road.
It’s not just an estate. It’s a statement. Scottish businesses deserve better than broken promises and false expectations. We’re proving you can do it differently.
