Plans to develop a major business park at Felindre, on the outskirts of Swansea, have been given a boost.
The site comprises 60 hectares of land at the former Felindre Tinplate Works which is being redeveloped as part of a joint venture between the Welsh Assembly Government and Swansea Council.
Felindre will be developed as a flagship strategic business park serving south Wales, accommodating higher level activities such as emerging industries and hi-tech manufacturing.
Swansea Council's Cabinet has approved an investment programme of approximately £9 million, which is being largely funded by the Welsh Assembly Government.
This will provide key infrastructure to the site and allow a number of plots to be serviced and then put to the market to enable the construction of business units by the private sector.
Planning permission for the strategic business park has already been granted and more than £25million investment has been made in land acquisition, land reclamation, access roads and a dedicated junction with the M4, and now infrastructure.
Once this investment is made the site will be ready for the first phase of development to commence within twelve months, and it is anticipated that the strategic business park will developed over the next decade within a landscaped parkland setting.
Gareth Sullivan, Swansea Council's Cabinet Member for Economic and Strategic Development, said: "The location, size and proximity to the M4 junction make the Felindre site a very attractive proposition in Wales.
"We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Welsh Assembly Government on a scheme of such magnitude and we will be looking to maximise job creation at the new business park and to ensure design work is sustainable and of the highest quality.
"Work can now progress on a facility that puts the region at the forefront of business opportunities in Wales."
Ieuan Wyn Jones, Minister for the Economy and Transport, said the funding from the Assembly Government would enable this final work to be carried out.
He said: "This has been a long term project and I am pleased that once the services are on site we will be in a position to market Felindre.
"It will be ready for development and will be an attractive proposition bringing in new investment and jobs to the area.
"It will be a high quality strategic site for the whole of the South Wales region."
City and County of Swansea, March 2008
