Scotlands Abandoned Designer Village

Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village and Leisure Park, near West Calder opened its doors to customers on September 5, 1996, claiming to be Scotland’s number one designer outlet village with over 40 stores, cafes and a host of leisure attractions.

It made a promising start. Achieving its millionth visitor in February of the following year, plans were drawn up to expand the 50,000 square feet of retail space and add a golf course and an indoor snow sports centre.

However, the opening of an outlet village in nearby Livingston, a new town, in October 2000 impacted heavily on the Five Sisters, drawing away customers and stealing most of its sales almost overnight. In November 2004, the complex closed and, despite various plans to redevelop the site, the buildings remain empty and the car park overgrown.