Expanding property development and investment company Garrison Barclay Estates has welcomed the Welsh Rugby Union and Bay Shipping into its newly refurbished offices at Cardiff Edge Business Park.
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The Cardiff-based firm, founded by Andrew McCarthy, purchased the 27-acre site in March 2018.
Previous owners GE Healthcare retain 111,000 sq. ft under a 10-year lease agreement, with Garrison Barclay Estates bringing to market the remaining 70,000 sq. ft of vacant buildings.
Over the last year, Garrison Barclay Estates has invested in creating modern, high-specification office suites and top of the range laboratory space.
The Welsh Rugby Union has relocated from its previous base at the Principality Stadium to a brand new 1,000 sq. ft office. Similarly, Bay Shipping has moved from Cardiff Bay to a new 1,550 sq. ft office on a new five-year lease.
[/aoa]Both tenants will benefit from newly refurbished offices that have been completely re-decorated with new flooring, wiring, air conditioning, toilet and shower facilities.
Chris Terry, Associate Director of Office Agency at Cushman & Wakefield, who represented the landlord commented: “Following the recent acquisition of Cardiff Edge Business Park, Garrison Barclay Estates has speculatively completed comprehensive refurbishment works to provide tenants high quality office accommodation set within a secure landscaped environment with generous car parking less than a minutes’ drive from Coryton roundabout, J32 of the M4 Motorway.
“Upon viewing the refurbished offices, Bay Shipping and the WRU were keen to immediately agree terms to secure the office suites. The lettings clearly demonstrate the continued demand from office occupiers seeking high specification office accommodation in close proximity to the M4 motorway and only 10 minutes’ drive from Cardiff city centre.
“As a further sign of confidence in the product at Cardiff Edge, Cushman & Wakefield has terms agreed with two other occupiers totalling some 11,500 sq. ft which is due to sign imminently. In addition, there is firm interest from a number of other prospective tenants, and we anticipate full occupation of the remaining refurbished offices within the next few months.”
Kevin Parker, Finance Manager at Bay Shipping, said: “Since its incorporation in 1992, Bay Shipping has always been located in Cardiff Bay. Over the years the business has grown and is now part of the John Good Group, offering port agency and chartering services. With a specific emphasis on ports in the Bristol Channel including Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Bristol, it made sense to position ourselves closer to the M4 Motorway to improve accessibility to these ports.
“Having looked at several other premises, we were delighted to stumble across a Cushman & Wakefield advert for the GE Healthcare site, recently purchased by Garrison Barclay Estates. It was clear the office complex had been refurbished to a high standard with ample parking, good security and other amenities. The office space itself provides a very modern, bright environment with a high-quality finish. The decision to move, therefore, was an easy one and our team is benefiting greatly from a prime location and the overall surroundings.”
With plans to make Cardiff Edge Business Park a hub for life science businesses, current availability at Cardiff Edge Business Park sees 46,000 sq. ft of lab space available, along with 6,500 sq. ft at The Innovation Village and 3,060 sq. ft within the Cromlin East building.
Andrew McCarthy, founder of Garrison Barclay Estates, said: “We are pleased to welcome our new tenants to Cardiff Edge Business Park. The interest we have had from prospective tenants thus far has been extremely promising. The site is in the perfect location and offers businesses quality office and laboratory space. We are happy to have two large Welsh corporations join us as tenants and look forward to welcoming future tenants.”
