Author: Rhys Gregory

Savills and joint agent Calan Retail, on behalf of Mahavir Properties, have agreed the letting of Unit 10, 11-25 Queen Street, Cardiff, to Roxy Leisure, who will open the first Roxy Lanes venue in Wales in early Spring 2023. The property has a prominent ground floor entrance, with the trading area spanning approximately 20,000 sq ft on the first floor. Roxy Leisure was founded by Matthew Jones and Ben Jones in 2013 and currently has 13 sites across the UK in Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Liverpool, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Bristol. Cardiff will be its first site in Wales. Roxy Lanes…

Global design and technology firm, Arcadis IBI Group Inc. (“Arcadis IBI” or the “Company”),  has announced planning permission has been granted for a new 270-person primary school with Meithrin in Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf. Construction is scheduled to start in April 2023 on the site of the former Chubb Factory, with an anticipated open date of 2024. Rhondda Cynon Taf Council selected Wynne Construction to lead the design team, which includes: architects Arcadis IBI Group, landscape architects Land Studio, civil & structural engineers Curtins, MEP engineers Troup Bywater Anders, and planning consultants Kew Planning. Once complete, the school is expected…

PUPILS and their families had a second opportunity to celebrate the festive period at a leading North Wales school. Ysgol Eirias rescheduled its popular Christmas concert following its cancellation in December. Headteacher Sarah Sutton took the difficult decision to close the Colwyn Bay secondary school earlier than planned for the winter break following an isolated incident of rodent activity in one of the education blocks. The matter was investigated and dealt with immediately, in conjunction with pest control experts, the local authority and industrial cleaners. “The timing of the closure was unfortunate given the activities we had planned for the…

Wales will be taking on Ireland on Saturday February 4th at Principality Stadium. With the kick-off taking place at 2.15pm – there will be a full city centre road closure from 10.15am until 6.15pm to ensure all ticket holders can get into and out of the stadium safely. The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy – please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride at County Hall in Cardiff Bay. Gates open at 11.45am, those attending the rugby match are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early. Please pay…

A project to convert surplus food into ready meals, a study exploring how vertical farms utilising controlled agricultural environments could re-localise food production, and a project to grow fruit and vegetables by retrofitting aeroponic technology into redundant buildings have been awarded feasibility funding from a £2.1 million sustainable food production challenge. The challenge, which is a partnership between Cardiff Council, Monmouthshire County Council, the Cardiff Capital Region Challenge Fund, Welsh Government, and the SBRI (Small Business Research Initiative) Centre of Excellence, aims to identify and support projects that can harness the potential of land, technology, and people to increase the sustainable…

Community sports facilities in Llandaff Fields are set to be transformed, with a new Padel Tennis centre, new café and community space, the resurfacing of the tennis courts, the development of a community tennis facility for all ages and abilities, the installation of cricket practice nets and, subject to funding, a new permanent clubhouse for Llandaff Cricket Club. Cardiff Council are in the process of drawing up lease arrangements with the cricket club, Tennis Wales and Padeltastic Ltd following an ‘expressions of interest’ exercise aimed at securing investment in the existing facilities, bringing new recreational and sporting opportunities to the…

Neath Port Talbot Council has agreed terms, subject to Planning Permission being secured, for a new retail development on the former Burrows Yard site at Aberavon, Port Talbot. While there remains a lot of work to be undertaken, it is hoped the development on the site of what was formerly a council depot and petrol station, will now help regenerate the local area. The council has been negotiating the disposal of the land to supermarket chain Aldi for use a food retail superstore. Also, the council plans to construct another retail unit on its retained land, which is to be…

Views are wanted on a plan to help reach a goal for South West Wales to become a more enterprising, ambitious and carbon-friendly region by 2035. The draft corporate plan developed by the Corporate Joint Committee for South West Wales sets out a vision for the region along with measures to best realise it in the coming years. Among the measures are the production of regional transport and strategic development plans to better connect the region’s communities and maximise the potential of regional growth opportunities to leave a long-term legacy for future generations. The delivery of regional energy and economic…

Weekend cold water swims at the National Lido of Wales, Lido Ponty, return next month. The Lido team have confirmed cold water swim will return on Saturday, February 4, with three sessions a day on Saturdays and Sundays for an initial period of four weeks, up to February 26th. The cold water swims return after a successful trial held at the end of last year, when swimmers enjoyed dips in the two main Lido Ponty pools, with water temperatures set at 15 degrees. Everyone who attended said they would like to come back and most said they would prefer shorter…

New research, commissioned by Stop Loan Sharks Wales and The Welsh Government, confirms fears that current financial hardships may drive more people in Wales to borrow from illegal money lenders, more commonly known as loan sharks. 38% say they are more likely to need to borrow money or credit this year to cover everyday costs 50% of those borrowing needed funds for everyday living expenses; of those, 66% for food and 53% to cover energy bills 18-34s are most susceptible to targeting by illegal money lenders. The research, which is the first of its kind in Wales, highlights the grim…