Our ‘Property of the Month’ series takes a look at our 19 Business Centres across Scotland; looking at the wonderful team running the Business Centre and the Tenants who operate their successful businesses from within.
Burnside Business Centre in Peterhead is this month's stop, and we'll be speaking to Business Development Coordinator, Cheryl Collins who is based there.
If you would like to base your business in Peterhead Burnside Business Centre, Cheryl would be happy help make this a reality. Contact Cheryl Collins on 01779 822000 or by email at cheryl@elevatoruk.com.
What makes Peterhead Great?
Burnside is situated at the gateway to Peterhead (known locally as The Blue Toon) it is a town steeped in history and tales of old.
Peterhead has many tales to tell of characters who ran local businesses, to gruesome deaths and talk of hidden underground tunnels. In 1645 the town was hit by the Plague and many of the 350 bodies (rumoured to not always be dead!) were discarded in large pits dug in the old town of Buchanhaven, Chapel Street and the area now known as Dales industrial Estate. Most of the dead came from Cromwell’s army who were based at the Keith Inch Garrison which now forms part of the Fish port.
There has been a fishing port at Peterhead for over 400 years. In the 19th century, the breakwater was constructed using red granite quarried from the local Stirling hill and Longhaven quarries, with the labour provided by prisoners from HMP Peterhead. The old prison was later replaced in 2014 by a bigger modern establishment which serves the Grampian area and the old building has recently been opened as a museum, with tales of what prison life was like and the famous 1987 riots where the SAS were dispatched to free the hostages. The fishing port and harbour has seen much investment in recent years and is now a premier white & pelagic fish port with a modern Fish market.
The Port has also serviced the oil and gas industry for the last 40yrs, servicing supply boats to the north sea. It has recently been used to bring ashore some of the larger wind turbines, which can now be seen on the landscape around the area. Peterhead is famous for the TV series the Trawler Men which showed the hard life aboard many of the fishing boats leaving the port and what it takes to put the fish on our plates, the produce brought ashore is sold in the market much of it is processed locally and transported around the world.
Not only is Peterhead the biggest town in Aberdeenshire, it sits north on the Energetica Corridor. This is an area of investment in enterprise and leisure with an easy commute into Aberdeen and also access to employment in a variety of industries being provided by the likes of the power station, St. Fergus Gas Terminal, Score, ASCO, Buchan Brae and Palace Hotel and many other businesses. It has been considered an area of reasonable wealth over the last few decades.
There are many ways to spend your leisure time in and around the town. Saturdays can be spent supporting the SL1 football team who recently played Rangers at Hampden in the Petrofac cup. It boasts a number of golf courses, including a championship course in nearby Cruden Bay and it is a great area for hunting and fishing both sea and river. There are many great cycle paths, and the old Buchan and Formartine route (former rail track), which runs from Dyce to Fraserburgh provides is great for walking, cycling and pony trekking. There are coastal walks abound with golden sandy beaches (though most days you will need your thermals), sea cliffs and bird watching along the Buller’s of Buchan, Forvie Nature Reserve & Loch of Strathbeg.
There are many great cycle paths, and the old Buchan and Formartine route (former rail track), which runs from Dyce to Fraserburgh provides is great for walking, cycling and pony trekking. There are coastal walks abound with golden sandy beaches (though most days you will need your thermals), sea cliffs and bird watching along the Buller’s of Buchan, Forvie Nature Reserve & Loch of Strathbeg.
The ruins of the old and new Slains Castle at Collieston and Cruden Bay make for a pleasant walk past Smugglers Cove, and the new castle has long been cited as the inspiration behind Stokes 1897 book - Dracula. You can take a walk up to the lighthouse in the nearby village of Boddam where the locals tell the tales of old sea wrecks where the ‘Boddomers hung 
the monkey oh’ – a story of a monkey aboard a sea wreck hung by locals, as they thought it was a crew member - and they could not salvage the ship whilst it still had crew alive.
The Lido situated on the approach to the town provides a safe haven for those brave enough to venture into the water on boats, dinghy’s and windsurfers, and is an area that features highly in Scottish Week One of Scotland's only remaining week long gala event still to exist.
The youth of Peterhead fair well as it boasts many youth groups from a long established Scouting and Guiding movement, Sea Cadets and Boys & Girls Brigade, a music school an array of sporting clubs and Circus Mode who engage the young through learning skills such as stilt walking and juggling.
For you animal lovers, there is much to see with highland cattle, seals in the harbour, puffins at Buller’s of Buchan and much, much more. Further walks can be found at Aden Country Park where you can see living history in the farming community, and where there are many events held such as horse shows and Pipe band contests.
Peterhead is truly the town where old meets new, industry meets the sea and the land and where you never tire of the scenery.
Burnside Business Centre
Burnside Business Centre is as diverse as the town it is based in, with beauticians, physiotherapist, sport/remedial massage, Oil & gas recruitment, training and compliance, child education, dressmaking, wedding dress boutique, accountants, MP, MSP and a number of charities. It is also the local driving test centre.
It is a friendly and busy hub providing services to the community locally as well as far and wide. It is a modern and secure building with offices suitable for 1 – 5 people and we also have two meeting rooms which can seat 6-8 and up to 12 people. There is ample parking with easy access to the property as it sits on the main entrance to Peterhead as you approach on the A90 from Aberdeen. Peterhead and Burnside the perfect partnership to getting a good work-life balance.
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If you would like to base your business in Peterhead Burnside Business Centre, Cheryl would be happy help make this a reality. Contact Cheryl Collins on 01779 822000
or by email at cheryl@elevatoruk.com.
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