Building a greener Wales

Construction work is underway on new £12M development at Cross Hands East Strategic Employment Site in Carmarthenshire, which will help transform the way that commercial buildings are constructed and heated, building a greener Wales.

The project, from the Welsh Government in partnership with Carmarthenshire County Council, will see some 32,500sq ft of low carbon offices, light industrial units and hybrid spaces for letting constructed across three buildings.

With support from the Active Building Centre, the project will help transform the way commercial buildings are powered and heated through the use of innovative technology and active building design principles. The new buildings will generate electricity using on-site renewables and incorporate high levels of insulation to deliver a low carbon development with reduced running costs.

The aim is to achieve ‘net zero carbon in-use standard’, which would see the development produce enough renewable energy to meet the lighting and heating needs of the buildings.

The Welsh Government is investing £5.9M in the project, with additional funding contributions being made by Carmarthenshire County Council and the Active Building Centre. In addition, £3.25M funding has also been awarded to the project by the European Regional Development Fund, through the Welsh Government. Main contractor for the development is Andrew Scott Limited.

The Cross Hands East Strategic Employment Site has been delivered via a joint venture between the Welsh Government and Carmarthenshire County Council, comprising a large programme of infrastructure works delivered over two phases.

Speaking at the COP27 UN climate summit, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething said: “The Welsh Government is taking decisive action to tackle the climate change crisis, so that we build a better green future for our country.

“We’re also working hard to deliver the supercharged green industries of the future that will help create high-quality jobs for people in their local communities.

“Delivering first-class business spaces is central to that vision – and it’s vital we do this in a way which contributes to our decarbonisation aspirations. This new development does exactly that, by demonstrating superb low carbon credentials.”

The Active Building Centre’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Perry said: “As a company born in Wales, we are proud to have worked on this exciting project. We hope it can be used as a framework for other sites; especially as it showcases what can and should be done to help tackle the challenge of net zero.

“Designing integrated structures and energy systems to be part of the solution around decarbonisation, with active technologies built in from the start, will mean that our buildings are not just users of energy but will play an integral part in meeting the challenges of climate change.”

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