Kier has started construction work on the new £7m hybrid scheme that will deliver office and workshop space in Ebbw Vale, Wales
The hybrid scheme development is situated on two sites, a quarter of a mile apart, on Mill Lane.
Kier is delivering the scheme for Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and when complete it will offer 2,350 square metres of employment floor space which is expected to create over 100 employment opportunities in the local area.
Works are set to be complete by the end of the year.
Two sites
The first site will have three steel-framed buildings known as hybrid units and will cater for nine businesses in total, two of the buildings identical in design and the third being smaller in size.
Each building will have a shared entrance lobby and auxiliary spaces and the light industrial units will all feature a small office space as well as a warehouse area. The hybrid units are designed to provide low running energy costs for occupants, with the offices having solar controls included as well as natural ventilation.
As part of this new development, Kier will be creating new vehicular access to adjoining road Lime Avenue, and constructing a new car park catering for 40 vehicles as well as a number of electric charging points and bike storage.
The second site will have box units which will be converted shipping containers that will be two-storey high and provide space for 21 offices alongside communal facilities.
Recovery post-Covid-19 in Blaenau Gwent
Jason Taylor, operations director for Kier Regional Building Wales, said: “We are proud to be working with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to deliver this hybrid scheme that will provide local businesses with flexible working space in Ebbw Vale.
“Alongside the new office space, we are also delivering new infrastructure including a new vehicular access point on Lime Avenue.”
Councillor Dai Davies, executive member For regeneration, Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, said: “We are very pleased to see the start of the construction industry recovery post-Covid-19 here in Blaenau Gwent, and excited at the prospect of new units for rental later this year.
“We are supporting Kier to work safely on-site to bring forward this scheme in-line with Welsh Government policies.”