18th May 2007 - Biz park boost predicted

BUSINESS parks could be the beneficiaries of the acute shortage of office space in Glasgow city centre.

That is the prediction of Ken McInnes at Ryden and Paul Broad at DTZ and, as agents with space to fill, it is no doubt also what they are hoping for.

They say that with the supply of city centre office accommodation at a 10-year low, inquiries are expected to pick up at office parks on the edges of the Glasgow conurbation.

GSO and Peel Park in East Kilbride, Strathclyde in Bellshill, Hamilton International and Eurocentral are in a position to benefit from the shortage of space in central Glasgow, they claim.

McInnes said he could reach GSO Business Park, which lies on the new Glasgow Southern Orbital route, by car in 20 minutes outside the rush hour.

Broad, meanwhile, claimed that business parks increasingly catered for non-car users too. "More firms now encourage employees to share cars to work and many parks have dedicated bus services.

"The announcement of the significant redevelopment at Eurocentral would indicate that the rest of the market is very well aware of the future opportunities in business parks around Glasgow."

by Jim Dow

Comprop Scotland, Friday 18 May 2007