“Its combination of location, minutes from Glasgow city centre with easy access to the motorway and three train stations, its technical specification, with Grade A office space and gigabit bandwidth, and – at around a third of the cost of the city centre – its value,” said Fionna Kell, “is very compelling.”

Kell, inward investment manager at Clyde Gateway, had just finished presenting at Scotland Build 2017, the two-day construction expo at the SEC Glasgow last week and the passion with which Kell outlined the area’s renaissance to delegates, lit up the room.

“It’s a 20-year project and we’re midway through,” she said. “But the first five years was, literally, all about below the surface; reclaiming land that had been so damaged by past industries. Their 50-year decline, and the associated disinvestment, also meant that the area had lost its connection with the city. Now, as well as the visible signs of industrial rebirth, we’re building that connection again.”

Established in 2008 following the announcement that Glasgow was to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Clyde Gateway has seen more than £1.5bn invested from both the public and private sector in the regeneration of 840 hectares across the east end of Glasgow and part of South Lanarkshire.

Clyde Gateway, attracted by the quality of business space, a prime location with excellent transport links and cost savings compared with city centres across the UK. I think we have reached a real tipping point in its fortunes.”

There is accommodation to match the needs of any size of business, ranging from smaller multi-let office spaces such as Red Tree Rutherglen to larger industrial spaces at Clyde Gateway East, adjacent to Junction 2a of the

Working in partnership with Glasgow City and South Lanarkshire councils, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government, Clyde Gateway covers an expansive area with opportunities existing for all types of businesses, from international firms looking for the ideal location to trade, to SMEs which require a modern but cost-effective location.

A number of technology, media, energy and digital firms, have already chosen to call it home. But as well as pitching Clyde Gateway’s merits to the private sector, Kell is also keen to nurture interest from the public sector, pointing out that organisations choosing the area will, as well as being in a prime location, be supporting its regeneration and Scottish Government’s targets for social justice.

“The hard work is really paying off,” said Kell. “We’re seeing a real appetite from businesses wanting to move to M74, where work has finished on a new 27,500 sq ft speculative unit here, which has already had a healthy level of interest. It is the only manufacturing location in Glasgow with a smart electrical grid, making it greener, more efficient, secure and reliable. For other businesses that want to bring in bigger teams, larger space options are available at Rutherglen Links Business Park and The Albus in Bridgeton.

“The success story of Clyde Gateway speaks for itself,” said Kell. “Large employers like Police Scotland have reaped huge benefits from locating more than 1,200 administrative, finance, and IT staff here. Other significant dynamic and creative businesses, including SPIE UK, Glacier Energy, MadeBrave, Peebles Media, BT and Cloud Cover IT now call Clyde Gateway home.”

Clyde Gateway’s reputation as a business location is growing all the time, not just because of the excellent transport links but also due to the business support and superfast broadband they provide. Infrastructure and connectivity are major drivers for the industrial property market, so there’s no doubt that the completion of recent improvements to the Raith interchange and the motorway network to the east of Glasgow has enhanced the area’s attraction and competitiveness even further.

The strong demand for the high quality industrial property and Grade A office space that Clyde Gateway offers, combined with a continued lack of supply from the city centre, will ensure that the next chapter in Clyde Gateway’s success story looks bright.