Establish a base for business in the UK

The UK has a straightforward planning process, a wide range of properties, and incentives that help businesses to set up and expand.

Locations and premises available in the UK

The UK has a wide range of properties for lease or rent for business purposes.

Small companies and entrepreneurs often opt for serviced offices to take advantage of the flexibility they offer in terms of infrastructure (such as internet access) and rental agreement lengths.

Larger companies may want to build, extend or change the use of premises. The UK has a straightforward planning process and one of Europe’s most efficient procedures for obtaining construction permits. Local planning authorities approve almost 90% of planning applications and 75% are completed within 3 months.

Business clusters

Businesses from the same or complementary industries are often located together in business clusters as centres of excellence and innovation across the UK.

Locating your business in a relevant UK business cluster could help you to:

  • access a larger pool of skilled labour
  • improve your supply chains
  • share knowledge, ideas, research and development costs

It’s worth determining the advantages of locating in or near an existing UK business cluster.

Enterprise Zones

Enterprise Zones offer a broad range of support to help businesses establish and expand in the UK. There are over 50 existing or planned zones in England and Wales, with 16 Enterprise Areas in Scotland and several in Northern Ireland.

Businesses in these locations can benefit from simplified planning application processes, various financial advantages and a business-ready infrastructure.

Find out more about Enterprise Zones.