Swansea Enterprise Park
Encyclopedia
The Swansea Enterprise Park is a combined business park
, retail park
and industrial estate
in Swansea
, Wales
. In 1981 it became the first enterprise zone in the United Kingdom
, and the largest. 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 Enterprise Park is the largest commercial district and the largest out-of-town shopping district of Swansea. Major employers at the site include Morganite
, Alberto-Culver
, Viskase
, The Land Registry
and Welsh Water
.
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 (3 km²) of land.
For many years this was a post-industrial wasteland until regeneration
in the 1980s. The regeneration has attracted 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. In 1996 a number of local retailers attempted to rebrand
the area as the "Swansea Lakeside Shopping Park".
s. Boating and fishing are popular pastimes on the lake. Fish stocks in the lake include Carp
, Tench
, Bream, Roach
, Koi
, and several other species. There is a footpath encircling the lake, and another hidden lake in the area is Half Round Pond to the west of Siemens Way.
In August 2011 a series of outdoor gym equipment was installed by The Great Outdoor Gym Company. The equipment is located at the front of the lake, adjacent to the footpath and in close proximity to the car park. The outdoor gym contains several cross trainers, exercise cycles, amongst other popular gym equipment.
Business park
A business park or office park is an area of land in which many office buildings are grouped together. All of the work that goes on is commercial, not industrial or residential....
, retail park
Retail park
In the United Kingdom, a retail park is a grouping of many retail warehouses and superstores with associated car parking. Its North American equivalent is a power centre. Retail parks are found on the fringes of most large towns and cities in highly accessible locations and are aimed at households...
and industrial estate
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In 1981 it became the first enterprise zone in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the largest. Originally it was named the Swansea Enterprise Zone. The designated area covers parts of the Llansamlet
Llansamlet
Llansamlet is the name of an electoral ward and a coterminous community City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. Llansamlet does not have a community council....
and Morriston
Morriston
Morriston is a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales and falls within the Morriston ward. Morriston is sometimes referred to as a distinct town , however Morriston never had a town charter, and is now part of the continuous urban area around Swansea, the centre of which lies three...
wards in the Lower Swansea valley
Lower Swansea valley
The Lower Swansea valley is the lower half of the valley of the River Tawe in south Wales. It runs from approximately the level of Clydach down to Swansea docks, where it opens into Swansea Bay and the Bristol Channel...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The Enterprise Park is the largest commercial district and the largest out-of-town shopping district of Swansea. Major employers at the site include Morganite
Morgan Crucible
The Morgan Crucible is one of the largest UK manufacturers of carbon and ceramic products for industrial use. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index.-History:...
, Alberto-Culver
Alberto-Culver
Alberto-Culver is an American corporation with international sales whose principal business is manufacturing hair and skin beauty care products under such brands as Alberto VO5, Andrew Collinge, St. Ives , TRESemmé, FDS, Consort, and Nexxus. It is a manufacturer in the multicultural beauty care...
, Viskase
Viskase
Viskase is a global corporation based out of Darien, Illinois, USA that supplies plastic, cellulose, and fibrous film and packaging to the food service industry, including casings for processed meats such as hot dogs and sausages...
, The Land Registry
HM Land Registry
Land Registry is a non-ministerial government department and executive agency of the Government of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1862 to register the ownership of land and property in England and Wales...
and Welsh Water
Welsh Water
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England.It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991.-History:...
.
The Swansea Enterprise Park is bounded by the A4067
A4067 road
The A4067 road is an A road in Wales connecting Swansea with Sennybridge. It runs in a southwest to northeast direction beginning at Oystermouth Square in Mumbles, Swansea, and continuing from there to Swansea city centre, where there is a break in the route...
and the A4217
A4217 road
-Route description:The A4217 begins at the Parc Tawe and Quay Parade bridges in Swansea city centre and continues north along Pentreguinea Road, which is shared with the A4067 road...
roads to the west and east; and the South Wales Main Line
South Wales Main Line
The South Wales Main Line , originally known as the London, Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway or simply as the Bristol and South Wales Direct Railway, is a branch of the Great Western Main Line in Great Britain...
to the southeast. It includes the Winch Wen
Winch Wen
Winch Wen is a suburban district in the Bon-y-maen ward of the City and County of Swansea, Wales. It lies some 3.5 miles north-east of Swansea city centre....
industrial estate
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
just east of the A4217; and the area just north of the A48
A48 road
The A48 is a major trunk road in Great Britain. It runs from the A40 at Highnam west of Gloucester to the A40 at Carmarthen. Before the construction of the M4 motorway and the first Severn Bridge in the mid 1960s it was the principal route into South Wales. For most of its journey through Wales,...
(Samlet Road) to the east and west of Upper Forest Way. The whole area comprises 735 acres (3 km²) of land.
For many years this was a post-industrial wasteland until regeneration
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
in the 1980s. The regeneration has attracted many light industries
Light industry
Light industry is usually less capital intensive than heavy industry, and is more consumer-oriented than business-oriented...
, offices and in particular retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
outlets to Swansea. The Morfa Shopping Park
Morfa, Swansea
Morfa is a district of Swansea, Wales. It straddles the Bon-y-maen and Landore wards and generally covers the eastern part of the district of Landore. Morfa was mainly an area of light industry in the late 20th Century...
is located adjacent to the enterprise park to the south in Landore
Landore
Landore is the name of an electoral ward, a community in the City and County of Swansea, Wales, UK. The community does not have a community council....
and the Swansea Vale
Swansea Vale
Swansea Vale is a mixed used new suburb development site in Swansea, Wales. The area is bounded east by Birchgrove; south by Swansea Enterprise Park, west by the River Tawe and north by the M4 motorway....
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
Town and country planning in the United Kingdom
Town and Country Planning is the land use planning system governments use to balance economic development and environmental quality. Each country of the United Kingdom has its own planning system that is responsible for town and country planning devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly, the...
and local taxes following the area's designation as an enterprise zone. In 1996 a number of local retailers attempted to rebrand
Rebranding
Rebranding is the creation of a new name, term, symbol, design, or a combination of them for an established brand with the intention of developing a differentiated position in the mind of stakeholders and competitors....
the area as the "Swansea Lakeside Shopping Park".
Lake Fendrod
In the heart of the enterprise park is a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) lake called Lake Fendrod (51°39′17"N 3°54′55"W). The lake is home to swanSwan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s. Boating and fishing are popular pastimes on the lake. Fish stocks in the lake include Carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...
, Tench
Tench
The tench or doctor fish is a freshwater and brackish water fish of the cyprinid family found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including the British Isles east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal...
, Bream, Roach
Rutilus
Rutilus is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, commonly called roaches. Locally, the name "roach" without any further qualifiers is also used for particular species, particularly the Common Roach Rutilus (Latin for "shining, red, golden, auburn") is a genus of fishes in the family...
, Koi
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
, and several other species. There is a footpath encircling the lake, and another hidden lake in the area is Half Round Pond to the west of Siemens Way.
In August 2011 a series of outdoor gym equipment was installed by The Great Outdoor Gym Company. The equipment is located at the front of the lake, adjacent to the footpath and in close proximity to the car park. The outdoor gym contains several cross trainers, exercise cycles, amongst other popular gym equipment.