Haunting 'ghost town' shopping centre is abandoned 27 years after hyped opening
This abandoned shopping centre lies empty and derelict some 27 years after opening as a premier outlet for designer clothes.
Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village in West Lothian claimed to be Scotland's flagship high-end destination for designer gear when it opened in 1996.
It had some 40 stores in its heyday, including Versace, DKNY and Calvin Klein, but suffered a huge decline in trade in the early 2000s and, in 2004, decided to shut up shop.
Now glum pictures capture its derelict state, nearly 30 years after it opened.
Other than the BBC using the site to film a zombie children’s show in 2015, there has been no activity at Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village since the stores closed.
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West Lothian 'ghost town' shopping centre lies abandoned 27 years after opening (Supplied)Rockport and Levis had outlets at the 50,000sq ft shopping centre, which attracted more than million visitors in its first year.
It was open seven days a week from 10am. There was also a Leisureland facility, with soft play, go karts, entertainment centre and many more activities for children at the attraction.
But Livingston Designer Outlet opened just four miles away in 2000, and this had a detrimental effect on Five Sisters.
The competition was untimely because Five Sisters' owner Freeport Leisure had hoped to extend its premises, with plans for an £18million upgrade.
Plans for new housing were rejected at the site (Supplied)It considered opening a leisure centre on the site, which would have featured ski slopes, toboggan runs, snowboarding, and a children’s winter wonderland.
These plans were shelved though and, in 2001, shops began to close and Freeport Leisure struggled to lure new names away from Livingston Designer Outlet.
By 2004, Freeport Leisure decided it was time to close the centre down and they shut up shop.
Councillors say they are keen to see the area redeveloped again (Supplied)Chairman of Freeport, Sean Collidge, admitted at the time that the Livingston outlet opening nearby was their downfall.
He said: “This scheme was 100 per cent let when it opened in 1996 and had four tremendous years. Then retail in Scotland became overpopulated in the central belt."
West Lothian Council have rejected plans to create housing in the area but say in their Local Plan that they are keen to see it redeveloped.
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The area in West Lothian is now heavily guarded (Supplied)
The site is also closed off to the public (Supplied)A spokesperson said: “The re-development, or re-use, of Westwood (Freeport), near West Calder, previously operating as a factory outlet centre, is supported by the council.
“Leisure and tourist uses, specialised employment, starter units (Class 4), or institutional uses appropriate to a rural location will be supported.
"Some element of new or extended building out with the development envelope on site and/or housing (very low density and a maximum of 30 houses meriting a rural location, all confined to the development envelope) will be considered, where this is shown to be necessary in terms of the financial viability of an appropriate scheme.”
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