Newport Open For Investment
Following increased exposure after the Ryder Cup, Newport has become an important regional player. A major transport hub for Wales, levels of employment and investment in the region are rising, with a highly diversified business base capitalising on the location, as well as its lower overheads in property and wages compared with London.
Transport in Newport
Newport’s location enables it to serve as a logistics hub for Wales. The port itself handled 2.7 million tonnes in 2009, more than Cardiff at 2 million. The dock has a fully integrated rail system, making London Paddington and Birmingham reachable within two hours, and Cardiff within 20 minutes. Additionally, several trains run to these locations every hour.
Newport markets itself as the ‘First City of Wales’, as it is the first city that visitors reach upon crossing the border from England to Wales. By car, it is possible to reach London in 2.5 hours, Birmingham in 1.5 hours, and Bristol in 35 minutes.
These transport links were instrumental in the decision of the prison service to relocate their shared service centre to Newport. Steve Hodgson said, “We chose Celtic Springs, Newport after a thorough and robust selection process. Our criteria included good transport links, the quality of the building itself and the ability to attract the right quality of workforce – Celtic Springs ticked all those boxes. We were delighted with both the quantity and quality of response throughout the interview process.”
Newport’s Attractive Workforce
Newport is home to six business parks with direct access to the M4. Property costs in the region remain consistently below the national average and regional competitors, whilst quality office space ranks 3rd in Lambert Smith Hampton’s study on office locations outside of London.
Newport benefits from a highly skilled workforce of 475,000. Newport University has 4,000 full or part time students, and has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, which keeps the graduate population high.
The Future of Newport
The public sector has become an important local employer, with Sheila Davies, head of regeneration at Newport council, dubbing the city: “The Whitehall of the West”. With overheads in terms of property and labour costs 1/3 lower than in London, the public sector is expected to continue to invest in Newport as a credible alternative to the South East.
For more information abut doing business in Newport, see their pages.
