A ghost town mall that was once Scotland’s version of Cheshire Oaks is abandoned 17 years after it closed.
The Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village in West Lothian opened in 1996 with more than 40 stores and claims to be Scotland’s new leading designer clothing outlet, reports Edinburgh Live.
It bears a striking resemblance to the Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet, which opened just a year earlier in 1995, as both are adjacent to leisure facilities.
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But unlike its twin, Ellesmere Port, who kept getting stronger, Freeport Shopping Village saw a rapid decline after its initial success.
The 50,000-square-foot mall near West Calder drew over a million visitors in its first year and promised to expand the space soon to include other recreational facilities such as a snow center and golf course.
Located just off the M8 motorway, it was between Edinburgh and Glasgow and within easy reach of most people in central Scotland.
Amazingly, the glass in this part of the abandoned Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village is still intact
(Image: Edinburgh Live)
The venue was open seven days a week from 10 a.m. and featured top brands including Versace, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Rockport and Levis.
They also had a recreational facility with soft play, go-karts, an entertainment center and many other activities for children.
There were two cafes and two other restaurants on site to ensure that all customer needs were met.
A year after the opening, the bosses of Freeport Leisure wanted to expand the premises.
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The West Lothian Council is keen to see the dilapidated Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village redeveloped
(Image: Edinburgh Live)
A building application has been sent to West Lothian Council for a £ 18 million expansion of the leisure center.
The snow center would have offered ski slopes, toboggan runs, snowboarding and a winter wonderland for children.
But that idea and a new golf course and putting range never materialized when the fortunes of the Freeport quickly began to change.
The new Livingston Designer Outlet had a huge impact on the store when it opened in 2000.
All shops and restaurants that were open in Freeport are listed
Customers turned away in droves, and tenants also moved to the new outlet in Livingston.
The decline was rapid and within just a year of 2001 most stores had closed and others were offering reduced sale sales and preparing to move.
In 2004, Freeport Leisure decided it was time to close the center and the store closed.
The site has since fallen into disrepair and was used by the BBC to film a zombie kids show in 2015.
Freeport chairman Sean Collidge admitted at the time that the opening of the Livingston store nearby was their downfall.
He said, “This project was 100 percent rented when it opened in 1996 and has had four great years. Then the retail sector in Scotland became overpopulated in the central belt. “
The West Lothian Council has turned down plans to create housing in the area, but says in its local plan that it is interested in having it redeveloped.
A spokesperson said: “The redevelopment or reuse of Westwood (Freeport) near West Calder, which previously operated as a factory outlet center, is supported by the council.
An overview of the mall
“Recreational and tourism uses, specialized activities, entry-level units (class 4) or location-specific institutional uses are funded.
“An element of the new or extension building outside the building envelope on site and / or the residential building (very low density and a maximum of 30 rural houses, all of which are limited to the building envelope) are taken into account if this can be proven with regard to financial sustainability a suitable system is required. “
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