Urban Village offers flexible working space

Freelancers and home workers are being given the chance to operate from a new dedicated ‘coworking’ office.

Community Interest Company (CIC) indycube has opened its fourth South Wales site at 220 High Street after the success of its operations in Cardiff.

Indycube is the latest tenant to move into Coastal Housing Group’s Urban Village development. A £25million scheme for the regeneration, redesign and rebuilding of the High Street and Strand Row areas of Swansea, the Urban Village offers retail, commercial and living space.

Indycube opened at the Media Centre at Culverhouse Cross in Cardiff in March 2010 as Wales’ first coworking space. The concept, which is well established in the US and is now taking hold in the UK, offers those who are traditionally home-based or anyone else who works alone the use of a desk, wifi and boardroom facilities for a set fee of £10 per day, or cheaper if more days are pre-booked.

Following the success at Culverhouse Cross, the company has started on a process of expansion across Wales, with the new Swansea site its fourth after two further coworking spaces were opened in Cardiff earlier this autumn.

The Swansea site will help indycube, which reinvests any surplus profits for the benefit of the coworking community, continue its ambitious growth plans.

Mark Hooper, indycube founder, said: “It has taken a couple of years for the coworking concept to grow in Cardiff, but now it is established there we are continuing our expansion across South Wales.

“The idea is simple – we offer freelancers and micro-businesses an excellent, low cost way for them to professionalise their business, and get out of the back bedroom or coffee shop. There are also a number of established businesses which have found the coworking experience a better option than the standard office lease.

“The real attraction for many is the community of other businesses in the same space – there’s always someone available to bounce ideas off.

“Over the next year or so we’re looking to expand into other areas around South Wales, with plans for up to 23 indycube sites in, among other places, Bridgend, Newport, the Valleys, Barry and Penarth.”

Gerraint Oakley, Coastal Housing Group’s director of development said: “We are delighted to secure a tenant in indycube. The confidence of indycube to select Urban Village as the location for its operations is further evidence of the strength of the Village’s appeal, services and amenities.”

Anyone interested in indycube can find more details at www.indycube.biz

Retail Units & Office Space at Urban Village

The Urban Village is creating the “village life” atmosphere offering shops, offices, restaurants & apartments that will encourage visitors from all walks of life therefore incorporating the creative hub which will encompass everything from bespoke craft & fashion design to digital arts, broadcast media publishing and advertising.

The Urban Village is looking for retailers that can offer that special something to help with the creative culture that we wish to generate at the village to sell a lifestyle that many would love to buy into. If you are that particular retailer then the Urban Village is for you.

For more information on the Retail Units or Grade A office space at Urban Village contact:

CLC Chartered Surveyors
Peter Loosmoore
01792 52 44 52
pete@clcproperty.co.uk


ejhales
Mathew Cocks/ Matthew Morgan
02920 39 74 78
matthew@ejhales.co.uk
mattc@ejhales.co.uk

Swansea High Street’s regeneration moves forward as Mosaic Cafe opens its doors

Swansea High Street’s Urban Regeneration project is taking a huge step forward with the opening of a new venue, Mosaic bar and bistro.

This is the latest venture from Andrew John and Brennan Street and forms an integral part of Coastal Housing Group’s new Urban Village.

Andrew and Brennan said “The Urban Village development is totally in line with our ethos of developing a ‘quirky’ but aspirational venue which is unexpected. We believe that Mosaic is an engaging venue where people can enjoy the city’s finest when it comes to coffee, food, company and wine.

“The High Street regeneration can only be a positive move forward. It gives a clear signal to local and national businesses that Swansea means business and if development continues in this manner will attract more new retail and restaurant outlets like Mosaic.”

The Mosaic menu is inspired by both local and exotic ingredients and is designed to please all tastes and budgets. Andrew and Brennan also intend the space to serve as a launch pad for new musicians, artists and comedians through a yet to be announced calendar of exciting events.

The Urban Village is the new home of over 100 of Coastal Housing Group’s Swansea based staff, securing the complex’s reputation as the flagship development for the regeneration of High Street. Coastal received £900,000 grant from the Swansea Regeneration Area for its Urban Village regeneration programme. It is intended to transform Swansea’s High Street, and bring Kings Lane back into use as the vibrant linkage between High Street and the Parc Tawe site.

Minister welcomes Swansea’s steps to regeneration

Coastal Housing’s director of development Gerraint Oakley shows Wales’ Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis and Leader of Swansea Council David Phillips around the regeneration of High Street, Swans

Wales’ Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis, has welcomed the partnership approach that is showing progress in regenerating Swansea’s High Street and its surrounding area.

The Minister was in Swansea visiting projects that have benefited and received support from the Welsh Government Swansea Regeneration Area.

Amongst the highlights of his afternoon tour was a trip to Coastal Housing Group’s iconic Urban Village, to which the organisation has recently moved over 100 of its Swansea based staff. The Minister’s visit also took in progress on the voluntary landlord partnership initiative – an innovative multi-landowner approach to short term retail letting in partnership with Swansea Creative Hub – to improve the environment whilst promoting culture through imaginative use of spaces.

Coastal received £900,000 grant from the Swansea Regeneration Area for its Urban Village regeneration programme. It is intended to transform Swansea’s High Street, and bring Kings Lane back into use as the vibrant linkage between High Street and the Parc Tawe site. Boosting social and economic development, whilst improving the environment, the newly completed scheme results in a mixed use of up to eight retail units along High Street, with three floors of office space above.

Urban Village is the flagship development to kick-start the regeneration of High Street. It is complemented by a variety of programmes including Art Across the City and the Voluntary Landlord Partnership. Such programmes involve key partners including Coastal Housing Group, Welsh Government, Swansea City Council, Swansea Creative Hub and Swansea BID.
 

The Voluntary Landlord Partnership, a Coastal initiative working with Towncentred with the support of Regeneration Area grant funding, seeks to establish temporary uses of buildings and public space. It seeks to identify opportunities to support owners and potential users to set up arrangements including pop-up shops and re-using buildings. Art Across the City is an artist-led charity offering different ways for people to engage with contemporary art created for popular public spaces, giving everybody the chance to see and experience contemporary art without having to enter an art gallery.

The programmes complement works being delivered across Swansea under the collaborative City Centre Strategic Framework.

Huw Lewis said: “Through our various regeneration programmes the Welsh Government is helping to breathe new life into Swansea’s High Street, one of the key gateways to the city. It’s fantastic to see how the Urban Village is developing. It is a prime example of how effective the partnership approach to regeneration can be.”

Coastal Housing Group’s Chief Executive Tim Blanch said: “Urban Village is a flagship scheme to rejuvenate the area. It is complemented by a variety of innovative projects. Working in partnership, Coastal is seeking to explore opportunities to increase footfall and cultural and social activity in the area.”

Coastal Housing’s director of development Gerraint Oakley, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis, Leader of Swansea Council David Phillips and Coastal Housing Group’s Chief Executive Tim Blanch

We've moved!

We've now moved from our offices of the last twelve years in Wind Street to the new Urban Village in High Street.

Doors re-opened on Tuesday 1 May at 220 High Street.  (Our phone number has remained the same:01792 479200)

Tim Blanch, chief executive at Coastal said: “This is an exciting time for Coastal, we are moving to purpose built offices at the heart of our new Urban Village. Strategically it’s the right time for a move, we’ve been operating in Swansea for over 35 years and are continuing to adapt and expand our core business as well as move in new directions.”

“Over the years we have invested millions in the regeneration of the city, and particularly of the high street, and moving to this new flagship development confirms our commitment both to this project and to Swansea.”

“For our staff the office move will provide a much improved working environment all on one floor, with upgraded IT, dedicated meeting space and room to expand.”

“There has been a huge amount of interest from businesses wanting to take space in the Village. As an anchor firm we will be best placed to support and facilitate these companies as they begin to move to the Village.”

Spokeswoman for Coastal Housing, Caroline Williams added: “Due to the move we have a large amount of office furniture - desks, chairs, filing cabinets etc that are surplus to our needs and we welcome approaches from local charities and starter businesses – please email: caroline.belasco@coastalhousing.co.uk

Whilst we are moving...

Our offices will be closed for a few days (Thursday 26th April to Monday 30th April inclusive) whilst we move offices to our new location on High Street.

Our reception will be closed and we will not be contactable via our main number 01792 479200. We will have the facility to leave messages, however calls will not be returned until the office is re-opened on Tuesday 1st May.

Therefore if you have any general enquiries, please do so before 4pm on Wednesday 25th April.

If you have an emergency during this period, please use our Out of Office Emergency Only number (24hr call centre): 0845 6808888

Please note, all planned home visits and maintenance repairs will still take place as arranged. Other useful emergency numbers you may require:

Gas leaks: National Gas Emergency Services: 0800 111999

Our offices will re-open and the phone lines will be back on line by Tuesday 1st May at 8am. Our Housing Services Team will return all calls left on the answer phone.

From May 1st 2012, our new address will be:
Coastal Housing Group 3rd Floor, 22O High Street, Swansea,SA1 1NW.

Our phone number will remain the same 01792 479200