Manufacturing Property Challenge Programme (UK)

The Manufacturing Property Challenge Programme provides support for the development of industrial accommodation for manufacturers in Scotland.

The programme is designed to address the shortage of modern, good quality, speculative, mid-size industrial buildings that are suitable for manufacturing occupiers.

Applications can involve one single building or multiple buildings on one defined site.

Funding Information

• Typical grant rates for projects are expected to be up to 20% of grant-eligible costs.
• The maximum grant under the programme is expected to be £2 million.

Eligible Projects

• Your project must:
  • Create speculative new or refurbished mid-sized manufacturing accommodation (around 15,000 square feet).
  • Be able to demonstrate which manufacturing industries your project will target.
  • Offer good value for money.
  • Be able to demonstrate that the project is deliverable within two years after receipt of a grant offer.
  • Be completed to high sustainability standards (either an ‘excellent’ BREEAM rating, EPC ‘A’ for new builds or EPC ‘B’ rating for refurbished properties).
  • Have not already begun or been legally committed to prior to application.
  • Not have any pre-let agreements in place.
  • Be located within the area served by Scottish Enterprise (Aberdeen City and Shire, the east of Scotland, Tayside and the west of Scotland).
  • Be located on a site designated for industrial use in the relevant local development plan.

Ineligible Projects

• There are areas that the programme is not applicable to. They’re not funding projects in the following areas:
  • Residential
  • Office
  • Retail
  • Tourism and leisure
  • Distribution
  • Trade counter
  • Energy generation and storage
  • Airport and port infrastructure
  • Agriculture and fisheries
  • Bespoke purpose-built accommodation (where the end user is committed to occupation)

Eligibility Criteria

• As an applicant, you must:
  • Be a private business registered in the UK.
  • Demonstrate experience of developing industrial property for manufacturing purposes.
  • Be able to demonstrate a financial need for the grant.
  • Be able to provide details of the projected operating profit.
  • Comply with the subsidy scheme rules, whereby the subsidy amount must not exceed the difference between the eligible costs and operating profit of the investment.
  • Be the owner of any property or site that is being worked on.

For more information, visit Scottish Enterprise.