A look at Sky’s new headquarters in Scotland
Key Points
- Sky has planning permission for a new 15-acre Livingston campus in West Lothian.
- The site will house around 3,000 employees across more than 21,000 m².
- It replaces four Kirkton Campus buildings and leased space at Alba Campus.
- GRAHAM is principal contractor and will work with local suppliers.
- Plans include on-site solar, renewable energy and improved green space.
Sky has secured planning permission for a new Livingston campus that will house around 3,000 employees across a 15-acre site in West Lothian.
Sky confirmed the approval on Friday (28 August), calling it a significant milestone in the delivery of a new workplace development in the town.
The campus will pull the company’s existing Scottish operations into a single site spanning more than 21,000 m², with enhanced green areas and flexible workspaces.
It replaces four existing buildings at Kirkton Campus along with leased space on the Alba Campus, both of which Sky currently occupies.
Earlier plans for the site set out an ultra-low-energy, three-storey building running on renewable energy, including solar panels installed on site. Those proposals also covered event spaces, a meeting centre, a café, a restaurant and activity-based workspaces.
Sky said the investment will support hundreds of jobs and open opportunities for local suppliers, SMEs and businesses in both the construction and the running of the campus.
The company has operated in Livingston for more than three decades, and the site remains one of its most important employment centres anywhere in the UK.
“Securing planning approval for our Livingston Campus is a significant milestone and a vote of confidence in Scotland,” said Sophia Ahmad, CEO of UK Consumer at Sky. “The new campus will create a fantastic workplace for our teams while delivering lasting economic benefits for the local community and wider region.”
“Sky’s decision to invest in a new Livingston campus is a major vote of confidence in our highly-skilled workforce, our local economy and West Lothian’s future as a place to do business,” said Gregor Poynton, MP for Livingston.
Poynton said the development will help secure Sky’s presence in Livingston for decades and create work for local businesses and suppliers as construction progresses.
Angela Constance, MSP for Almond Valley, pointed to the improved green space, active travel routes and on-site renewable energy in the approved plans.
Sky has appointed GRAHAM as principal contractor, and the project now moves into its next phase of delivery.
“Sky’s investment in Livingston is one of the most significant workplace developments Scotland has seen in recent years, and GRAHAM is committed to delivering a campus that reflects that scale and ambition,” said Chris MacLeod, regional director at GRAHAM Building North.
“We will be working closely with local suppliers and businesses throughout, ensuring the project generates real and lasting economic benefit for West Lothian and the wider region.”
The Livingston project sits alongside recent office relocations in Glasgow and Dunfermline, which gave Sky teams in both cities newer, more flexible workspaces.
Sky submitted the Livingston application a few months after winning planning approval to expand Sky Studios Elstree in Borehamwood, a scheme that adds 10 stages to the complex and is expected to create more than 2,000 jobs.
