Best areas to open light-industrial business unit in South West
11 South West local authorities ranked by the Gera Business Location Score — real rent, wages, rates and market density.
Where is the best place to open a light-industrial business unit in South West?
In South West, the best area to open a light-industrial business unit is South Hams, with a Gera Business Location Score of 83.3/100: premises at £65/m²/yr and local median pay £28,329. Bristol, City of ranks lowest of 11 South West authorities at 53.7/100. From 2025 UK government open data; re-dated annually.
Gera Business Location Score
Top South West area for light-industrial business unit: South Hams.
How this is calculatedSouth West ranked for light-industrial business unit
| # | Local authority | GBLS | Rent (£/m²/yr) | Local pay | Rates / 100 m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Hams | 83.3/100 | £65 | £28,329 | £2,808 |
| 2 | West Devon | 74.6/100 | £73 | £28,161 | £3,154 |
| 3 | Somerset | 74.1/100 | £69 | £29,152 | £2,981 |
| 4 | Cornwall | 73/100 | £107 | £27,006 | £4,622 |
| 5 | Wiltshire | 71.2/100 | £64 | £30,000 | £2,765 |
| 6 | North Somerset | 69/100 | £81 | £28,749 | £3,499 |
| 7 | Plymouth | 62.8/100 | £90 | £30,346 | £3,888 |
| 8 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 62.4/100 | £150 | £31,121 | £6,480 |
| 9 | Gloucester | 59/100 | £159 | £30,796 | £6,869 |
| 10 | Cheltenham | 58.2/100 | £134 | £35,202 | £5,789 |
| 11 | Bristol, City of | 53.7/100 | £164 | £36,652 | £7,085 |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the cheapest area for light-industrial business unit premises in South West?
- The lowest VOA rateable value for this property type in South West is £64/m²/yr in Wiltshire. On the combined Gera Business Location Score, which also weighs wages and demand, South Hams ranks #1.
- How much are business rates for light-industrial business unit in South Hams?
- For a 100 m² unit in South Hams, business rates are roughly £2,808/yr at the 2026-27 small-business multiplier (43.2p), on top of about £6,500/yr rent — before Small Business Rate Relief.
Opening a light-industrial business unit in South West?
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Contains public sector information published by Valuation Office Agency and Office for National Statistics and licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: VOA Business Floorspace + ONS Business Counts + ONS ASHE (work geography) + ONS population estimates (2025 (VOA 31 March 2025; ASHE 2025 provisional; Business Counts 2025; population mid-2024), published December 2025).