Green shoots at Crown as attracting firms to leading Gwent business park proves to be child’s play

A Gwent business park is providing fertile ground for a clutch of commercial ventures.

Crown Business Park has welcomed three new businesses in recent weeks with the arrival of an established garden centre, a renewable energy firm and a children’s day nursery.

The trio, one who has bought and two others who are leasing, has taken a total of 10,500 sq ft at the park in Tredegar which is already home to a rich variety of businesses.

Haydn Thomas, of Hutchings & Thomas chartered surveyors, said: “Highly regarded Crown Business Park is ideally located on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road and, as such, proves a magnet for a whole range of businesses as these recent deals prove.

“We’re delighted to be able to welcome the well-established Victoria Garden Centre to Crown Business Park along with Natural Innovation, the newly established green energy firm and the new children’s nursery, Butterflies, which will add to the attraction of this park.

“We’re confident this trio of transactions could act as a catalyst for other businesses to consider taking space at Crown.”

Justin Kingdon, of landlords CNC Property Investments, said: “We’re delighted that we have; with the help of our agents, been able to attract these three great businesses and anticipate welcoming more in the near future.  It proves that if the product is right occupiers will come, which is a great testament to the local area and what it has to offer”.

Kelvin Miller established Victoria Garden Centre at Ebbw Vale’s Festival Park 14 years ago.

He says he is now looking forward to opening at Crown Business Park and to building on his already impressive client base after buying the freehold buying the freehold of his 4,000sq.ft. unit and grounds.

Kelvin said: “We have some 6,000 customers on our database already, built up over many years, and are hoping that the number will grow with the opening of our new centre here at Crown Business Park.

“We’re already attracting customers from West Wales, Swansea, Hereford, Gloucester and Bristol, who are drawn to us for the quality of our plants and equipment and our very competitive prices. I’m confident that this new location on the A465 will help us greatly in picking up passing trade.”

Kelvin said the garden centre business, which he set up 14 years ago at Festival Park, currently employs six people but this number could be boosted to 10 subject to business growth.

Meanwhile Ian Hulbert, of renewable energy business Natural Innovation, has shifted to the Crown Business Park taking 2,500 sq ft of space after starting up 12 months ago at Ebbw Vale’s Innovation Centre.

Ian said: “The space we’ve taken at Crown Business Park is many times bigger than what we had at the Innovation Centre in Ebbw Vale but we need it as we’re expanding fast. We’ve grown our workforce from 10 to 30 and need space for our stock and equipment.”

The ‘green’ business, which has taken a five year lease, will service clients across South and West Wales from the new headquarters and look to expand in to other areas and into the Midlands.

Ian, an air conditioning engineer, said: “It’s a really exciting time. Business is going really well. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while so starting this here at Crown is a realisation of a dream.”

Another business which has located to Crown Business Park is the Butterflies children’s nursery and crèche which has been taken 4,000 sq ft of space on a five year lease.