Cooke & Arkwright
News
ABP signals a job well done at Waterfront Barry
23/10/07
The property market received a massive boost this week as Associated British Ports (ABP) and the Welsh Assembly Government agreed the sale of the final 41-hectare (100 acres) of prime development land at the flagship Waterfront Barry regeneration scheme in South Wales. The remaining site is set to be developed by a consortium of leading housebuilders comprising Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon Homes and Barratt Homes. The £350 million development will set new standards for sustainable construction in Wales - with the new homes and the commercial development designed to the highest environmental standards.
Cooke & Arkwright expands commercial and residential teams
11/10/07
Cooke & Arkwright has significantly expanded its agency and professional teams during recent months, employing an extra ten people in Cardiff and Bridgend. The chartered surveying firm, first established more than 100 years ago, now employs over 70 people in its south Wales offices.
Light Aid
11/10/07
Trinity House, the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA) for England, Wales the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, has instructed Cooke & Arkwright as part of a UK wide exercise to undertake a planned maintenance & buildings survey and asset valuation of some of its south and west Wales’ lighthouses. These include lighthouses at well known landmarks such as Strumble Head near Fishguard, St Anne’s Head in Milford Haven, Caldey Island near Tenby, Mumbles in Gower and Nash Point in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Developers sought for Bargoed’s Big Idea
20/09/07
Plans for a strategic £25 million retail and leisure complex will be a key part of a regeneration strategy for Bargoed town centre. Far-reaching proposals for a six acre retail and leisure complex have been drawn up to include a 60,000 sq ft food store, a 20,000 sq ft cinema and leisure complex and 46,000 sq ft of shops. Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Welsh Assembly Government are forming a joint venture to secure the development and have instructed agents Cooke & Arkwright to attract a private sector partner to develop the site.
Bergstrom expansion in Wales
20/09/07
Bergstrom Europe Ltd has taken occupation of a 12,000 sq ft building at Penallta Industrial Estate in Cardiff, in a move to accommodate expansion from its main design and manufacturing facility at its European headquarters at Dyffryn Business Park. The company has relocated its metal fabrication department to Penallta where it has installed almost £2m of fabrication equipment and invested a further £450,000 on new equipment and works including upgrading the power supply and refurbishing the offices and shop floor areas.
New Welsh home for Peter Alan
30/08/07
Principality Building Society has purchased the 10,000 sq ft former Daewoo showroom at Valegate Retail Park, Culverhouse Cross from Curo Sterling (Valegate) Limited Partnership for £1.7m, to house the new headquarters of its subsidiary, leading Welsh estate agency Peter Alan. The deal, conducted on behalf of Principality by agents Cooke & Arkwright, is part of a £2.4m investment programme which includes significant re-design and refurbishment of the property to adapt it for office purposes. Work has commenced and Peter Alan expects to open its new headquarters before Christmas.
Barwood in £9m+ Chepstow deal
15/08/07
Barwood Developments Limited has acquired Newhouse Farm Distribution Park in Chepstow from Prudential for a price in excess of £9m. The property comprises a development site of five acres and a building of 224,000 sq ft which is let to Asda at £785,000, providing a yield of 8.70%.
Countrywide expansion
21/06/07
Countrywide Property Lawyers (CPL), part of the Countrywide plc group and the largest residential conveyancer in the UK, has doubled its presence in Cardiff and taken the entire 14,000 sq ft on the 11th floor at Brunel House in Fitzalan Road, Cardiff. The company is expanding and strengthening its conveyancing teams to accommodate market growth and a growing volume of instructions. Having previously occupied part of the 8th floor, the move sees the number of employees at the Cardiff centre increasing from 80 (FTE) in January 2006, to 122 in May 2007.
New 103 bed hotel for Newport
31/05/07
Pedersen Hotels has acquired a three-quarter acre site in Newport from Euro Commercials (South Wales) Limited, where it is to build a 103 bed ETAP budget hotel. Demolition of the original 8,500 sq ft building in Malpas Road, which was disposed of in a deal negotiated by Cooke & Arkwright, has already been completed and the site is being cleared for the construction of the hotel along with 107 car parking spaces.
Empty property rates shock, by Andrew West, Director Cooke & Arkwright
31/05/07
The Chancellor’s completely unexpected announcement in the last Budget to remove rate relief on empty commercial premises has rung alarm bells throughout the property industry. Unless the Welsh Assembly Government decides it shouldn’t apply in Wales, under his proposals it will be abolished from 1st April 2008. The Rating (Empty Properties) Bill has already received its first reading and is scheduled for a second reading in the House of Commons in June.