Work starts on major valleys office scheme
WORK has started on one of the biggest office schemes ever seen in the Valleys.
A new 133,000 sq ft regional hub for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) at Treforest, near Pontypridd, is expected to be handed over for fit out in the last quarter of 2020.
The project, which will house 1,700 staff, is being delivered by Cardiff-based property development firm Rightacres with its funding partner L&G.
Work has officially started on the scheme following a traditional ground breaking ceremony.
Rightacres is also behind the Central Square development scheme in the centre of Cardiff, where work is well advanced on a new 260,000 sq ft UK Government public sector hub that will provide a new tax centre in South Wales for HMRC employing 4,000 staff. It will also provide space for the Wales Office.
DWP is relocating its back office and benefit processing operations, currently run from a number of office sites across South Wales, to the new HQ at the Treforest Industrial Estate.
Staff currently at DWP offices in Cardiff, Newport, Cwmbran, Merthyr and Caerphilly will move into the new building in 2021.
The office in the Gabalfa area of Cardiff is DWP’s current largest back office and benefit processing centre in South Wales, employing 400.
Martin Brown, DWP director of planning said: “This is a very significant development for DWP as we continue to modernise and transform our services.
“The new site will create a more efficient and flexible working environment, from which we will deliver a wide range of vital services to people in Wales and beyond.
“The development will house around 1,700 staff, bringing together talented employees under one roof, where the scale of operations is such that staff have the opportunity to develop and progress both within DWP and within the wider civil service in South Wales.”
Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, Andrew Morgan, said:”This is another positive economic boost for Rhondda Cynon Taf and once again demonstrates the ability RCT has in attracting investment as a result of its pivotal location at the heart of the Cardiff Capital Region.
“The wider Pontypridd and Treforest area has been identified as a strategic opportunity area by cabinet members, with its potential for economic growth and job creation.
“The council has worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions to make this decision a reality as we were keen to ensure these public sector jobs were located in the Valleys and not centralised in Cardiff, and we will continue to collaborate to ensure that the positive economic impact brought about by the establishment of these DWP functions are realised.”
The project has been designed by CWA Architects and will be built by BECT Construction.