18 October 2006

Celtic Springs Business Park - the standard bearer for south Wales

Developers AWG Broadhall consider its £11m hotel and leisure scheme as a crucial ingredient in the overall success of its 45-acre, £100m Celtic Springs Business Park.

Work on the 120-bed Ramada Plaza hotel starts shortly and when complete will offer what the developers consider to be facilities that are unrivalled by any other business park in south Wales.

The five star standard hotel complex will provide a 150-delegate conference centre, meeting rooms, a banqueting hall, full health club, Jacuzzi, sauna, beauty spa, swimming pool, restaurant and café.

A 100-place children’s day nursery is also part of the development on an adjacent site to the hotel.

The business park has already attracted the likes of the Prison Service, Wales & West Utilities and the Midas Group. Multi national defence business EADS is building a new facility nearby.

AWG/Broadhall is pumping £3/4m into landscaping and infrastructure works and is building a speculative 35,000 sq ft of office space, CS 3000,  which will be ready for occupation by mid of 2007. It is hoping the office will prove attractive to EADS-related suppliers.

Iain Logue, Operations Director at AWG Property, says the overall high standard of the business park, from quality of the buildings to the infrastructure, is purposely designed to attract international interest to south Wales.

Logue said: “The international standard facilities we’re creating are second to none and frankly have to be if we’re to succeed in attracting the calibre of interest we want to create in this park.

“Offering this level of facility is absolutely vital if we’re to compete on level terms in the global market place.

“The economy of south Wales has been totally transformed in the past twenty years from one which was centred on heavy, extractive industries, such as coal and steel. Celtic Springs is the standard bearer for the new economy of South Wales

“Modern business parks have to offer key elements to be a success. I believe a crucial element is the location of a five star standard hotel not just offering bed rooms but also leisure and health facilities too such as fitness suite swimming pool, and child care facilities. It all adds to the mix of excellence we’re creating here in south Wales just off junction 28 of the M4.

“Celtic Springs already has an extremely well used Express by Holiday Inn. The flagship Ramada Plaza hotel will add further to our offer bringing another level of sophistication for those on the park and also others coming to south Wales.”