West Lothian Council has approved a ten-year commercial lease of office premises in Livingston to a local charity which provides mental health support to children and young people.
A meeting of the council ‘s executive agreed to lease office space at 11 Quarrywood Court, Livingston to Smile Counselling (SCIO)
The office property at 11 Quarrywood Court in Livingston Village, Livingston extends to 603m² and is situated within a small development of single and two storey detached office pavilions, each with their own dedicated car parking spaces.
Smile Counselling (SCIO) is an established West Lothian-based charity, providing free and low-cost mental-health support to children, young people and families across the region. Founded in 2015, they deliver therapeutic counselling, school-based well-being services and accredited professional training for counsellors and community practitioners.
The report to committee noted that the lease of Smile’s current premises expires in June 2026 and they are seeking to safeguard continuity of service, strengthen partnerships and enable planned growth and are seeking a sustainable long-term base within central West Lothian.
Declan Harrigan, the CEO of SMILE, writing on social media, said: “We are delighted to officially have agreement of lease on our new home. This will be a huge asset to all children and young people of West Lothian. We will not let them down and ensure they all get the access to support when they need it most.
“We have huge ambitions for the future of our services and hope that we will be a safe haven for children, young people and their adults.
“Now the big work begins. We are planning on a fully furnished premises to cater to all our clients.”
Councillors agreed the lease without comment. It will give the charity its first year rent free with an annual rent thereafter of £51,000 for the next five years, with a review at the end of year 5.
A report to the Executive said: “The proposed twelve-month rent-free period in year one of the lease is in lieu of works that the council as landlord would otherwise be required to undertake and pay for prior to letting the property. Those works will now be undertaken and paid for by the tenant. Officers are satisfied that the proposed structured annual rents set out above represent full market value and the best terms reasonably obtainable by the council.”
The property forms part of the council’s commercial Tenanted Non-Residential Property (TNRP) portfolio and is currently vacant and available for lease on commercial terms.
Money raised through rental of council properties helps to fund investment in infrastructure projects such as schools, parks, buildings, roads and care services for vulnerable people. This is an important funding stream that allows the council continue to invest in services for local people.
The report to committee noted that the lease of Smile’s current premises expires in June 2026 and they are seeking to safeguard continuity of service, strengthen partnerships and enable planned growth and are seeking a sustainable long-term base within central West Lothian.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
