Electric Gates
Edinburgh & the Lothians
Electric gates supplied, fabricated and installed across Edinburgh and the three Lothians. Our fabricator is based in Musselburgh, so this is home ground rather than an area he travels to.
A look at our work in Scotland
Every gate is made to measure for the property it goes on. Here is a small selection of recent installations by your local fabricator.
Holds its colour through Scottish winters with none of the annual treating timber needs.
Keypad, fob, intercom or phone app — specified around how the entrance actually gets used.
Slides parallel to the boundary, so a short driveway is no obstacle.
Dale Ward — fabricator and installer
Dale began his fabrication apprenticeship in 2012 with a family-run Scottish gate and railing company, working across commercial and domestic projects. He has worked independently since, and still makes gates and railings together rather than treating them as separate trades.
Composite and traditional wrought iron gates are fabricated in his own workshop, paired with automation from the leading brands. Aluminium and timber gates are sourced from specialist suppliers for him to automate, which means the material is chosen to suit the property rather than limited to what one workshop happens to make.
Musselburgh puts him in the middle of this patch. Edinburgh is six miles, Dalkeith four, Prestonpans four, Haddington eleven. On a system you will own for fifteen years that proximity matters as much after installation as before it — servicing and adjustments are straightforward rather than a half-day round trip.
The Lothians are not one place
What a gate needs to cope with changes considerably between the coast, the city and the newer towns inland.
On the coast — salt air
From Musselburgh through Prestonpans to North Berwick, salt-laden air corrodes untreated steel and works into hinge pins and control boxes. Galvanising before powder coating, stainless fixings and sealed enclosures are the baseline here rather than an upgrade. Composite infill does not corrode at all.
In Edinburgh — consent
More conservation areas than any other Scottish city, and a very high concentration of listed buildings. Consent is needed more often than people expect, and where a gate will not be approved, rising bollards are a genuine alternative rather than a fallback.
In the newer towns — title burdens
Livingston, and the modern estates around Dalkeith and Bonnyrigg, frequently carry real burdens on boundary treatments under the Title Conditions (Scotland) Act 2003. Separate from planning permission, and where a factor is appointed their written consent may be needed.
Electric gate types & services
Electric Swing Gates
The most popular residential choice. Composite or traditional wrought iron, fabricated to suit the property.
Learn more →Electric Sliding Gates
Travels parallel to the boundary, so no swing clearance is needed. Suits shallow driveways and wide openings.
Learn more →Cantilever Gates
Slides with no ground track at all — nothing to fill with snow, grit or leaves. Worth considering in Scotland.
Learn more →Driveway Automation
Full systems including video intercom, keypads, remote fobs, vehicle detection loops and app control.
Learn more →Automate Existing Gates
Already have gates? Motors can often be added without replacing them, from around £2,000.
Find out more →Railings & Gate Repairs
Matching railings fabricated alongside your gate, plus repairs to motors, panels and access control.
Learn more →How much do electric gates cost in the Lothians?
There are enough variables in an electric gate that a single price would be misleading, so these are starting figures rather than ranges. Each reflects a full-size double driveway gate — 2 metres or more per leaf, at intermediate specification — rather than the smallest thing that could be built.
Prices and minimum specifications vary by region and installer. A precise quote follows a site survey, which is free and carries no obligation.
Full cost guide →Starting figures for a 2m+ double driveway gate at intermediate specification. Groundwork varies by site.
Frequently asked questions
Which parts of the Lothians do you cover?
Edinburgh and all three Lothians — East, Mid and West. Eleven towns have their own page, listed below, and the surrounding villages of each are covered too. If yours is not shown, send us your postcode and we will confirm.
Do I need planning permission in Scotland?
Scotland operates under its own planning legislation, separate from England. Broadly a gate adjoining a road may be no more than one metre without permission and two metres elsewhere, with listed buildings and conservation areas needing consent regardless. Our planning permission guide has a dedicated Scottish section.
How quickly can I get a survey?
Quicker here than anywhere else we cover, since your fabricator is based in Musselburgh in the middle of this area. Submit an enquiry and you should hear back within 24 to 48 hours.
Can you make railings to match my gate?
Yes. Gates and railings are fabricated in the same workshop, so a matching run can be made alongside the gate in the same section, spacing and finish. Where original ironwork is staying, the gate can be drawn to match its detail rather than approximate it.
Can you automate the gates I already have?
Often, yes, and it is worth asking before assuming you need new ones. The gates need to be structurally sound, the piers must carry the extra load, and the weight and leaf width need to fall within an operator's range. Where all three hold it starts from around £2,000.
Worth reading first
Scottish planning rules
Scotland has its own planning legislation. Our guide has a dedicated Scottish section.
Planning guide →Cantilever gates
No ground track to fill with snow or grit. Worth considering in a Scottish winter.
Cantilever gates →What safe looks like
BS EN 12453 applies UK-wide — force limitation, safety edges and photocells.
Safety guide →Where we work
Full coverage across Scotland and England, and how to check your postcode.
Areas we cover →Send us your postcode and the width of your entrance using the form below and Dale will come back to you directly.
Electric gate installers across the Lothians
Don’t see your town? Send us an enquiry — the surrounding villages of each are covered too, or see all areas we cover.