Newport City Council - Latest developments
Booming ‘recession-baby’ businesses topping £100,000 turnover mark in Newport and Monmouthshire
Feb 22, 2012
Across Wales, firms started in Newport and Monmouthshire were most likely to have hit the £100,000 turnover mark (12.04,%) the figures showed.
Around one in 11 businesses in Wales that started up in the tough markets over the last three years is achieving £100,000 turnover, according to new figures from Barclays. The research reveals that the dream of running your own business is flourishing and potentially lucrative, as ‘recession baby’ businesses that started continue to grow and succeed.
“Many of us secretly hope to run our own business and escape from nine to five employment,” said Judith Gage Barclays Business Regional Director for Wales. “These figures show that dream is realistic, and starting your own business can offer a credible, financially alternative to working for another employer. What makes this so extraordinary is that these businesses are ‘recession babies’ – born, grown and succeeding in the current markets. Clearly, there are a lot of opportunities out there for start-ups which our entrepreneurs are aggressively going after.
“Even if your ambition isn’t to reach the financial stratosphere, there are many, many businesses providing their owners with a good income below £100,000 turnover. Figures like these are part of the reason why Barclays is supporting record numbers of people taking the plunge and starting up a business.”
Judith Gage Barclays Business Regional Director for Wales said:
“The record numbers of start-up businesses is partly the ‘Dragon’s Den’ effect - seeing inspirational people on television who are following their business dreams. We’re also seeing a new generation of young entrepreneurs who have learned about business at their school – which is exactly as it should be. Others are entrepreneurs through necessity, as their situation means they can’t get salaried employment.
“The cost of starting a business today can be extraordinarily low. Many businesses exist just with an electronic shop window, rather than a high street presence. They work and trade online, and their customers could just as easily be in Sydney as Swansea.”
Across Wales, the number of firms turning over more than £100,000 in the last three years are:
Town/City/Area Percentage of firms turning over more than £100,000
Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot 8.63%
Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan 9.26%
Central Valleys 10.51%
Conwy and Denbighshire 7.94%
Flintshire and Wrexham 9.87%
Gwent Valleys 10.48%
Gwynedd 8.84%
Isle of Anglesey 4.21%
Monmouthshire and Newport 12.04%
Powys 7.94%
South West Wales 7.44%
Swansea 9.64%
Admiral Insurance sails into Newport’s city centre
Jan 13, 2012
The announcement by Admiral that they plan to move to city centre offices in Newport is the latest in a series of moves that will help regenerate the city.
Friars Walk, the new city centre retail and leisure development, is progressing, a major refurbishment of the market and surrounding area is due to take place soon to create a market quarter, improvements have been made to public transport as well as the recent announcement that Newport is the new home of the Alacrity Foundation Graduate Entrepreneurship programme.
Speaking about the announcement from Admiral, leader of Newport City Council, Councillor Matthew Evans, said: “Admiral has shown great faith in our city centre and its presence here will be a major step as we move towards the development of a new city centre shopping area.
“We hope that other businesses will recognise the benefits that Admiral has realised and see what the city offers. We have a can-do attitude and look forward to working with Admiral and meeting their needs as they look to expand their portfolio and become one of the major employers in the city.
“This news is especially welcome as it means they have chosen Newport above other locations.”
Councillor Ed Townsend, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Admiral has been excellent employers in Newport and its continuing commitment to the city will help attract partners to the new shopping development.
“Council officers have spent a great deal of time with Admiral and Scarborough and they have done an excellent job in refining the development and making sure that it can be built in a way that meets Admiral’s needs.
“Its presence will breathe new life into the area opposite the railway station and the proposed development will link with the market and will make the area an attractive place to work and shop.”
Entrepreneurs of the future head for Newport
Dec 21, 2011
Newport will be the HQ for the next generation of entrepreneurs due to a new Alacrity Foundation Graduate Entrepreneurship programme.
The scheme has been created by Sir Terry Matthews ‘ Wesley Clover organisation in partnership with the Welsh Government, the Waterloo Foundation and a private philanthropist and will give young graduates the opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The project will provide real life experience for the graduates as they deal with product development requirements.
Alacrity’s strategic partners include Vodafone, Fujitsu, BT and Mitel. During the 12 month programme, graduates will receive intensive training and mentoring from industry experts and find out what it takes to start a successful new venture.
Simon Gibson for Alacrity said: “We are delighted to be working with our partners to implement a tried and tested methodology to create a new generation of high technology companies. In Alacrity, successful participants do not exit the programme with simply a job, they create a company in which they have ownership and executive responsibilities. After thoughtful consideration, we picked Newport as a location due to its excellent road and rail links to the rest of the UK and London which are critical to our operations.”
For further information visit www.alacrityfoundation.com
The Ryder Cup - One year on
Oct 4, 2011October 3, 2011
It may have been a year since The Ryder Cup was in town, but 365 days on and activity in the city continues at pace.
“The benefits to Newport of hosting The 2010 Ryder Cup were clear ahead of the tournament coming to the city, immediately afterwards and will continue to be felt for years to come,” said Leader of Newport City Council, Councillor Matthew Evans.
“As a council, we ensured the city was able to capitalise on its moment in the global spotlight and concentrated on the legacies that The Ryder Cup would leave. For example, every resident had a chance to join in the celebrations, even if they were not golf fans.
“Many local businesses gained directly as a result of the event although we always recognised it was not going to bring financial rewards for everyone, especially in view of the economic climate.”
A major and comprehensive economic impact study of the 2010 Ryder Cup at the Celtic Manor Resort found that the economic impact on Wales was £82.4m and more than £28m for Newport’s economy. Last year there were 500,000 more visitors to the city than the previous year and this can be attributed to The Ryder Cup effect. The 2010 Ryder Cup left a number of legacies which will last long into the future including environmental and infrastructure enhancements, new opportunities for children and worldwide recognition for the city as well as the continuation of the highly successful Newport Festival in 2011.
Thanks to The Ryder Cup, golf was opened to many youngsters who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to try the sport and Newport City Council proved itself to be one of the most proactive local authorities at delivering golf within Wales.
Golf Development Wales has praised how the council used the golf tournament as a catalyst to get more people interested in the sport. Newport City Council established partnerships with schools, clubs and Golf Development Wales to develop a number of golf projects which helped take the sport to a wide range of people from different backgrounds and this is continuing in the city.
Newport benefited from funding that it would not otherwise have received thanks to The Ryder Cup. The Welsh Government gave Newport a grant of £3.8m for a city enhancement programme which saw the restoration of the historic Transporter Bridge as well as improvements to public spaces such as riverfront walkways.
Councillor Matthew Evans, continued: “One of the best things to happen to Newport as a result of The Ryder Cup is that people are interested in what is happening in the city. We are still getting interest and publicity a year on and expect more media interest in the build up to the tournament in the USA next year.
“Memories from those that attended the tournament cannot be quantified. For youngsters they will have many memories of the time the city hosted The Ryder Cup. Many completed the first ever Ryder Cup themed education curriculum while pupils at Hartridge High School had the opportunity to meet ex-international footballer Ruud Gullit. Youngsters also had the chance to meet Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie at the library where he read an extract from his favourite book, while the Ryder Cup fanzone in the city centre was officially opened by Ian Woosnam.
Over the past year the council has made the city centre retail and leisure development a key priority and negotiations are continuing between the council and preferred bidder, Queensberry. It is anticipated that a development agreement will be finalised in the autumn.
It was due to The Ryder Cup that the council was introduced to Queensberry. They were one of the businesses that the council met at the tournament and as a result of this meeting they were invited to go through the official tendering process.
The council has already completed a lot of groundwork ahead of the scheme with the CPO of properties in John Frost Square completed early last year. This was done so work on the new city centre development could begin quickly.
Other city centre work includes the market redevelopment and the council’s vision for enhancing the “market zone”, includes improving the shopping area around the listed building. This exciting project would restore the High Street entrance of the market to the centre of the building and create smart new units. These could be used for shops or restaurants and could remain open outside the market’s normal operating hours.
Later this year Newport’s new information station will open. Bringing together a range of council services and partner organisation such as police, health and Citizens Advice the new centre will create an easily accessible and welcoming facility. The centre will bring back into use the former railway station building and bring 300 workers into the city.
Newport Unlimited, the city’s regeneration company, has pledged £2.6m to improve the environment and vibrancy in the city. There will also be a focus by Newport Unlimited on promoting the city externally and highlighting what the city and its surroundings have to offer and why Newport is a logical choice for business, leisure, education and living.
On top of the £2.6m, Newport City Council has set aside £1.2m for the city centre for a range of initiatives aimed at attracting more people into the city centre and includes around £850,000 for the free parking offer in the council’s car parks.
Well over £100 million of regeneration projects have been completed. This includes the creation of the new £35m university campus on the riverfront which has just won the prestigious Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Award. This has attracted more young people into the city and retailers have seen an increase in trade. Major progress is being made on many key strategic projects with Newport City Council driving forward its own capital programme, including a £21million investment in the city’s highways infrastructure. Network Rail’s £25 million redevelopment of the station was completed last year and delivers an attractive new building and concourse at a key gateway into the city.
The city’s rugby stadium, Rodney Parade, has undergone regeneration work and now boasts a new stand and hospitality facilities. Residential development work is continuing and work has started at Glan Llyn, the City Vizion Taylor Wimpey site and the new Art College.
The Football Association of Wales announced earlier this year that they will develop a state-of-the-art purpose built football training facility at Newport International Sports Village.
“It was a once in a life time opportunity for Newport to host The Ryder Cup and I would host the tournament again tomorrow if we had the chance. It put Newport on the map,” concluded Councillor Matthew Evans.
City Centre preferred bidder announced
Jun 20, 2011
Newport City Council has taken another significant step towards the redevelopment of the city centre.
The cabinet has agreed a preferred bidder for the multi-million retail scheme in the heart of the city centre with its mix of retail, food and leisure opportunities.
Queensberry, a company linked to one of Europe’s leading developers, was chosen from a robust shortlist following a tendering process. It is responsible for managing the assets of Multi Corporation in the UK.
Negotiations will now start between the council and Queensberry to finalise a development agreement which is expected to be completed this autumn.
“While there are still legal and other processes that have to be followed, I believe this is a major milestone in the road to finally bringing the retail scheme Newport needs and deserves to the city,” said Councillor Matthew Evans, leader of Newport City Council.
“The senior management team behind this bid is the same that successfully delivered award-winning shopping schemes in Bath and Belfast and we look forward to a similarly fruitful partnership.
Councillor Ed Townsend, deputy leader and cabinet member for redevelopment and economic regeneration, added: “I am optimistic that the council has found a partner that can make the vision of a revitalised city centre a reality.
“We still have some way to go before the scheme can progress to the building stage but this is a vital move in the right direction.”
Paul Sargent, managing director of Queensberry, said: “We are very happy about being chosen by Newport City Council as the preferred bidder for this important scheme and keen to get started as soon as possible.
“We are still facing a challenging market and will have obstacles to overcome but we are confident that with the right approach we can bring about a retail scheme that will have the necessary regenerative effect in Newport in the very near future.”
New city centre university campus wins top design award
Jun 20, 2011
The design of the University of Wales, Newport’s new City Campus has been recognised in the prestigious RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) architectural awards.
Designed by architects BDP, the City Campus’s striking design was praised as “fluidly knitting together considerably diverse uses” by the judging panel.
Commenting on the announcement of the award, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Graham Rogers said: “The city can rightly be proud of the building, which the University has always made clear belongs to the people of Newport. As well as being at the heart of the regeneration of Newport and providing economic growth for the region, we can now proudly say that we have one of the best buildings in Wales right here in our city.
“This award, coming soon after the BBC’s decision to host the recent election debate from the building, means the City Campus is now known well beyond our city.”
Chris Harding of Architects, BDP added: “It is great news for the University and everyone involved with delivering this amazing building. BDP is very proud of this award and delighted that the City Campus is now recognised for its innovative and creative design.”
International golfers soak up the sun and some last minute Ryder Cup practice at The Wales Open
Jun 4, 2010
Golfers wishing to get some advance practice on the Celtic Manor’s 2010 course ahead of The Ryder Cup were out in force at The Wales Open 2010. Colin Montgomerie, Europe’s Ryder Cup 2010 captain was joined by a raft of international players including Miguel Angel Jimenez, Darren Clarke, Soren Hansen, Paul McGinley, Chris Wood and Bradley Dredge.
Beautiful sunshine with temperatures of 25 C and a newly tweaked, challenging course made for an excellent spectator experience. Being half-term, the usual Kids Zone and Junior Golf facilities in the tented village helped keep the children occupied whilst helping them develop their own golf skills.
The Ryder Cup will be played this year in Newport at The Celtic Manor between 1st - 3rd October.
Former Corus Llanwern Steelworks regeneration scheme
Jun 4, 2010Newport City Council’s leader has welcomed the news that work can start on the £1billion regeneration of the former Llanwern steelworks which will include housing and a major new business park.
St Modwen, the company behind the proposals for the redevelopment, has signed a legal agreement with the council which was a requirement of the planning permission. This paves the way for the first residential phase of the scheme as well as bringing forward a 1.5 million sq ft business park.
Glan Llyn is expected to provide thousands of new homes, a district centre and 6,000 jobs over the next 20 years.
Councillor Matthew Evans, leader of Newport City Council, said: “I am delighted that St Modwen and the council have been able to move this important regeneration project forward.
“It has a significant strategic part to play in the future of Newport. We look forward to seeing a new community taking shape on this brownfield site and welcome the many new employment opportunities which are due to be created.
“St Modwen has shown confidence in Newport and that speaks volumes particularly in the current economic climate.”
Andy Evans, the council’s head of service for planning, regeneration and strategic housing, said: "The City Council and St Modwen have reached a significant stage in moving this strategic regeneration project forward. In the short term the City will reap the rewards of a dedicated park and ride facility for the Ryder Cup 2010 whilst in the longer term a major brownfield site will be transformed into a thriving new Community. This is a massive contribution to Newport's future growth strategy."
World Class Data Centre opens in Newport
Mar 15, 2010
Next Generation Data officially has officially opened in Newport as one of the world’s largest data centres.
Next Generation Data (NGD) Centre took over the former LG building, near Duffryn, around two years ago in a £200 million project to convert and upgrade the 750,000 square foot building into a centre to store computers and digital information.
The building currently houses data halls for BT, storing hundreds of server racks, and IT company - Logica, which uses its hall to help manage the IT requirements of its government clients.
Only part of the building is currently being used, but NGD is currently talking to other clients with the hope of filling it in the next three to five years.
At the opening, science, innovation and skills deputy minister, Lesley Griffiths, said: “The digital economy is one of the priority sectors for research and development in Wales, and for a highly respected company such as Next Generation Data to locate and develop this site here in Newport sends out a strong, clear message.”
Newport West AM Rosemary Butler, said: “Thanks to NGD and their tenants this will now become one of the biggest data centres in the world. That is a real feather in the cap for Newport and will inevitably boost business confidence in the area.”
Wales M4 to become a Hydrogen Highway
Mar 2, 2010
Hydrogen expertise in Wales key to infrastructure and technology
The Welsh Assembly Government has announced plans to make the M4 in South Wales a Hydrogen Highway.
If the plans are realised, by 2015 the M4 between Swansea, Cardiff and Newport would be the UK’s longest alternative fuel route. Drivers would be able to fill up vehicles with hydrogen, also compressed natural gas and bio-methane, as well as recharge electric vehicles at plug-in points.
This announcement comes just two weeks after Wales’s M4 corridor was awarded Low Carbon Economic Area (LCEA) status, to further develop its hydrogen energy R&D expertise.
The University of Glamorgan will be a key part of the LCEA and Hydrogen Highway plan. It is already a world-leading hydrogen research centre, and in 2008 developed a Tribrid bus that runs on hydrogen fuel cells, batteries and ultra-capacitors.
Now the university has been awarded £6.3m towards its Cymru-H2Wales project to develop new processes, products and services in hydrogen energy.
The project will explore innovations such as producing hydrogen from renewable electricity and biological hydrogen using bacteria, as well as developing hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles. The university will also play a role in building the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure in Wales.
Cymru-H2Wales alone aims to create 63 permanent jobs in hydrogen energy, and the LCEA offers great potential for business, with a facility for the automotive sector to develop and test alternative fuel vehicles.
The LCEA will cover a wide catchment area including Swindon, where Honda has a manufacturing base. Honda was one of seven international carmakers that recently published a joint statement anticipating a great increase in electric fuel cell vehicles from 2015.
Rhondda Cynon Taf and other local councils are considering switching transport fleets to hydrogen or other alternative fuels. Hydrogen powered vehicles have no emissions except water, but are still capable of speeds of around 55mph.
Copyright: International Business Wales’ Sustainable Technologies Team
The Celtic Manor Resort Unveils Twenty Ten Bridge
Feb 11, 2010
A vast new bridge which will transport players and spectators to the practice ground during this year’s Ryder Cup has been officially opened by the First Minister of Wales.
Carwyn Jones AM cut the ribbon on the 120-metre long, cable stayed bridge over the River Usk in the company of Sir Terry Matthews, Chairman of The Celtic Manor Resort, and Richard Hills, Europe’s Ryder Cup Director.
The £2m twin-suspension bridge completes a £16m investment by The Celtic Manor Resort in building a new course, clubhouse and surrounding infrastructure, developments that were promised when one of sport’s biggest events was awarded to Wales back in 2001.
As with the construction of The Twenty Ten Course and its clubhouse, the new bridge was built by Welsh contractors, bringing further benefits to the economy of Wales. Rowecord Engineering of Newport provided the superstructure and all steelwork, and Port Talbot-based Andrew Scott Ltd was the main construction contractor.
Sir Terry Matthews, Chairman of The Celtic Manor Resort, said: "We are proud to open this wonderful new bridge as the final major piece of construction for this year’s Ryder Cup."
"We have invested a lot of time and resources in creating not only The Twenty Ten Course, the first golf course in history to be purpose built for staging The Ryder Cup, but also the surrounding infrastructure."
"This bridge to the new practice ground is an important part of that commitment to provide the best possible playing conditions for the top golfers from Europe and America who will be gracing the event, as well as enhance the spectator experience at The 38th Ryder Cup."
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, said: "The Ryder Cup is a huge event for Wales and I congratulate Sir Terry Matthews and the team at The Celtic Manor Resort on completing the final piece of the infrastructure required on-site to host such a high-profile event, which will be a superb showcase for Wales."
Insurance Giant Admiral expands in Newport creating 200 new jobs
Feb 10, 2010
Insurance giant Admiral, one of the UK’s largest direct car insurance providers, is doubling staff numbers at its Newport office with the announcement of 200 new jobs.
Admiral Group will be recruiting around 200 people for its Claims department, based in Langstone Business Park throughout 2010.
Newport was Admiral’s third site and opened in October 2008 with 30 new recruits joining 39 staff who relocated from Cardiff and Swansea. Today 188 people are employed at the Newport office.
Admiral Group People Services manager, Ceri Assiratti said, “Our customer base grew by 16 per cent to 1.8 million customers by the end of the third quarter in 2009, and growth in the business is expected to continue over 2010. We need to grow our number of employees to service those customers.
“Newport has proved a huge success and we will continue to expand here. It was initially projected the site would be full by the end of 2011, but we have found a wealth of talent in the area and with our ongoing recruitment, will have reached capacity by the end of 2010.”
Staff in Newport have proved to be of the highest calibre and six Customer Service Representatives (CCR) have already been promoted to senior positions since the office opened in October 2008.
Admiral is Wales’ only FTSE 100 company with more than two million customers worldwide. It’s turnover was more than £900 million in 2008.
Admiral has been listed amongst the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For over the last nine years and the Great Place to Work Best Workplaces for the last seven years.
Inward Investor Clinches Top UK Business Awards
Jan 1, 2010
A high tech company which chose to be based in Newport when it decided to lease premises for the first time in 2007, has picked up two prestigious UK business awards.
Abriox Ltd, based in Imperial Park, was originally assisted by Newport City Council with a start up rent subsidy and a grant for website development and IT training.
The company has gone on to win the British Chambers of Commerce’s Most Promising Start-up Business Award, sponsored by BT, and the Achievement in International Trade Award for the company’s innovative fuel pipeline monitoring equipment.
The company took two years to develop its own unique ‘Merlin’ system, which monitors levels of protection from corrosion on buried metal pipelines – automating a procedure that used to have to be done manually in the field.
Merlin is now used in the UK by gas distribution companies like National Grid and Wales & West Utilities as well as by petrol firms, including Esso, BPA and Fina. The system has also been taken up widely in the United States and the Middle East by crude oil firms.
Graham Morgan, Director of the South Wales Chamber, said: “This is an innovative small company, and although it’s only been going for a couple of years has already shown its big ambitions both in the UK and internationally.
“In just two years of trading the company already has every major UK gas distribution company as its customer. The fact that it won two awards speaks for itself.”
Abriox founders spent two years developing their unique product, funded by development grants from the Welsh Assembly Government’s SMARTCymru R & D programme, before they took it to market in 2007.
Since then the business, despite only employing eight people, has improved profitability year-on-year and this year had an order book with more than £1.5m worth of deliveries, with a five-year objective to achieve a turnover of between £10m and £15m.
Newport`s NGD Europe Becomes First Data Centre to Go 100 Per Cent on Renewable Energy
One of the world’s largest data centres, NGD Europe, has become the first in Europe to purchase renewable energy for 100 per cent of its power usage.
As part of its commitment to carbon reduction (CRC), Next Generation Data Limited, the UK owner and operator of South-Wales based NGD Europe has appointed SmartestEnergy, the UK’s largest purchaser of electricity from the independent generation sector, to supply the recently opened state-of-the-art 750,000 square feet date centre facility.
NGD Europe’s tenants, including BT and Logica, will immediately benefit from enhanced environmental credentials for no additional price premium as well as total peace of mind from NGD Europe’s on-site high capacity electricity sub-station which, unlike other data centres, enables connection directly to the National Grid to ensure high availability, resilience and control of power supply from grid to rack.
“Our pioneering renewable energy agreement will directly benefit existing and future NGD Europe customer organisations and demonstrates we are actually doing what other data centres are only just starting to think about. In an industry which consumes over 2 per cent of the UK’s total power supply, it is a significant step to ensuring our operations are as competitive, efficient and environmentally-friendly as possible,” said Nick Razey, CEO of Next Generation Data.
Commented Mark Larard, Director of the Data Centre Advisory Group for global real estate advisors, Jones Lang LaSalle: “Based on our Spring 2010 European Data Centre Barometer1 survey, NGD Europe’s wholehearted and immediate commitment to renewable energy supply is likely to prove to be totally in-tune with industry wishes. In general, the rest of the industry remains in a state of flux over if, when, and how much it is prepared to embrace this critical issue. NGD continues to challenge industry expectations, and it will be interesting to see if others try and follow.”
Commented Martin Balaam, Managing Director of BT Engage IT: “BT is a leading and long-standing advocate of carbon reduction and renewable energy initiatives and is therefore delighted that its managed hosting operation at NGD Europe is now totally supplied from renewable energy sources.”
