Swansea Enterprise Park
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The Swansea Enterprise Park (Welsh: Parc Anturiaeth Abertawe) is a combined business park and retail park in Swansea. In 1981 it became the first enterprise zone in the United Kingdom, and the largest.[1] Originally it was named the Swansea Enterprise Zone. The designated area covers parts of the Llansamlet and Morriston wards in the Lower Swansea valley, Wales. The Swansea Enterprise Park is bounded by the A4067 and the A4217 roads to the west and east; and the South Wales Main Line to the southeast. It includes the Winch Wen industrial estate just east of the A4217; and the area just north of the A48 (Samlet Road) to the east and west of Upper Forest Way. The whole area comprises 735 acres (2.97 km²) of land.[1]
For many years this was a post-industrial wasteland until regeneration in the 1980s. The regeneration has been a success in attracting many light industries, offices and in particular retail outlets to Swansea. The Morfa Shopping Park is located adjacent to the enterprise park to the south in Landore and the Swansea Vale regeneration area is located just to the north.
The retail park of the Swansea Enterprise Park was largely unplanned and followed the relaxation of planning controls and local taxes following the area's designation as an enterprise zone.[2] In 1996 a number of local retailers attempted to rebrand the area as the "Swansea Lakeside Shopping Park".[3]
Organisations with premises at the site include the:
- Public service:
- Land Registry for Wales head office
- Department for Work and Pensions
- DVLA local office for Swansea
- Welsh Assembly Government
- Solicitors:
- John Collins & Partners
- Morgan LaRoche
- Retail premises
- Tesco Extra superstore
- ASDA superstore
- Halfords
- ...instore
- PC World
- Currys
- Comet
- Maplin Electronics
- Eddershaws
- Booker Wholesale
- Makro
- Banks
- Catering/Hospitality
- Burger King
- KFC
- Ramada 4 star hotel
- Taybarns restaurant
- Gardening/DIY
- Focus
- Trade Depot
- Rexel Senate electrical
- Topps Tiles
- Wolseley
- Wyevale Garden Centre
- Furniture
- Allied Carpets
- MFI
- Industrial premises:
- Morganite Electrical Carbon Limited has an industrial plant adjacent to ASDA, which was based at the site before the area was designated an Enterprise Zone.
- Alberto-Culver factory
- Bemis packaging factory
- Tomos Watkin brewery
- Information Technology
- EDS
- Oyster Bay Systems
- Warehousing and distribution:
- ANC
- Roland Corporation UK warehouse
- Royal Mail sorting office
- Parcelforce
- Citylink
- Car dealerships:
- Telecoms
- Virgin Media call centre
[edit] Lake Fendrod
In the heart of the enterprise park is a 13 acre lake called Lake Fendrod. The lake is home to swans. Boating and fishing are popular pastimes on the lake. Fish stocks in the lake include Carp, Tench, Bream, Roach, Koi, and several other species.[4] There is a footpath encircling the lake, and another hidden lake in the area is Half Round Pond to the west of Siemens Way.
[edit] References
- ^ (2006) Presenting and Representing Environments. Springer Netherlands, 89-104. DOI:10.1007/1-4020-3814-3_6. ISBN 978-1-4020-3813-6.
- ^ Retailing
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Council Minutes
- ^ City and County of Swansea - Coarse angling
