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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
World
John Paul Clark & Rebecca Daly

Eerie photos show abandoned shopping village after almost 20 years lying derelict

Eerie photos show what remains of a once-booming shopping centre built in 1996 and abandoned just eight years later in 2004.

The BBC has even used the derelict site to film a children’s show centred around zombies.

Over 40 stores opened in the centre, which was thought to be the next new premier outlet for designer clothes and housed the likes of Versace, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Rockport and Levis.

Read more: Garda allegedly pays criminal €300 to attack female colleague's home amid corruption probe

Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village, located in West Lothian, Scotland, attracted over a million visitors in its first year.

The 50,000sq ft shopping centre also had two cafes, two restaurants and a Leisureland facility for children, with soft play, go-karts, an entertainment centre and much more.

As a result of Freeport’s popularity after the first year, plans to expand the site were sent to the local West Lothian council. The £18 million upgrade would have included a snow centre with ski slopes, toboggan runs, snowboarding and a children’s winter wonderland.

There had been plans to expand the Five Sisters Freeport Shopping Village (( Image: PigDogUrbex))

A golf course and putting range were also part of the expansion plan.

However, these lavish plans never materialized as the fortunes of Freeport began to shift rapidly.

In 2000, a new designer outlet opened up nearby, which had a huge impact on Freeport.

Not long after, customers began to turn away in their droves, and tenants also moved their stores to the new outlet in Livingston.

The decline was rapid and within just one year in 2001, most of the shops had shut and others were offering reduced clearance sales and preparing to leave.

By 2004, Freeport Leisure decided it was time to close the centre down and they shut up shop.

Chairman of Freeport, Sean Collidge, admitted at the time that the new outlet in Livingston 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.

It lies empty 25 years after its flagship opening (( Image: PigDogUrbex))

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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