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Business Support & Advice

 

Economic Development Unit

The Economic Development Unit at Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is dedicated to helping businesses to start, grow and prosper within Blaenau Gwent and also to build relationships with new inward investors and developers that may be looking to locate projects within the area.  The team offers guidance, support and signposting in relation to sites and premises, financial assistance and also general business issues.

A great place to do business
  
Conveniently located within the UK, Blaenau Gwent offers excellent access to all parts of the country (please refer to the map on the back of this pack), by virtue of its central proximity to the M4, M50, and M5/6 motorway routes, together with the ‘Heads of the Valleys’ carriageway.  In terms of freight, Blaenau Gwent is located only 40 minutes away from docks at Bristol and Newport.  In terms of international travel, Blaenau Gwent is less than an hours drive away from nearby airports at Cardiff and Bristol.
  
Blaenau Gwent enjoys a passenger rail-link to Cardiff, and is also equipped for ‘e-business’ by means of excellent broadband telecommunication links.  As such, Blaenau Gwent’s infrastructure provides its businesses with a rapid, reliable and cost effective connection system to customers, suppliers and colleagues in UK, European and World Markets.
 
A skilled and productive workforce

Blaenau Gwent boasts a skilled, committed and loyal workforce supported by excellent schools, colleges and universities. We are surrounded by a plethora of high-quality academic institutions, including the University of Cardiff, the University of Glamorgan, University of Swansea and the University of Wales, Newport - all of which are within a 40-mile radius. Blaenau Gwent’s strong thrust towards education and skill-based training is undoubtedly one of the reasons behind the dynamism and flexibility of its local workforce. A variety of support initiatives are also operated within the area, such as recruitment assistance and the highly successful JobMatch Programme, to ensure that employee skills are intelligently tailored to ensure a fit with employers needs.

As well as offering a superb location and infrastructure from a business perspective, Blaenau Gwent is also blessed with an amazing landscape.  Truly enjoying ‘the best of both worlds’, the County Borough forms part of the Southern border to the outstanding Brecon Beacons National Park, and is adjacent to a World Heritage Site.  Both its beautiful mountain land landscape and its wealth of local history make Blaenau Gwent an enviable setting for any business to grow and develop.

Financial Support

For information on available grant assistance please visit our Business Grants section.  You can go there by selecting the appropriate link from the Related Pages on the right navigation panel of this page, or alternatively call us on 01495 355700. 

Property

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council maintains a varied range of business properties and development land sites to suit your business needs.

The Economic Development Team manages a property portfolio with quality industrial units ranging from 300sq ft to 16,600sq ft and a selection of offices ranging from 96 sq ft to 3,000sq ft.

We can help with …

 

• Low cost business start-up units
• Quality Office Space
• Combination Industrial Units – Quality Office Space with production areas.
• High profile locations on modern industrial estates and business parks
• Land for your own design and build project
• Up-to-date property register showing available business units and office space.

Occupany is available on flexible lease and ‘easy in – easy out’ licences.  For more information and to discuss your business requirements, please telephone the Economic Development Unit on 01495 355700.

Pre-Incubation - Turn Your Ideas Into Gold At The Alchemy Suite

The Alchemy Suite is located at the Lakeside Business Centre in Nantyglo, near Brynmawr and is specifically designed to provide ‘budding entrepreneurs’ with the ideal environment in which to explore their ideas and to develop their business ventures.  The Centre offers its users a professional address, the use of computers (including AppleMacs) and other office equipment, together with access to a wide network of representatives from other useful business support organisations.

The Alchemy Suite has been created to provide people with all the help they need to explore and to develop their business dreams.

The Alchemy Suite offers:

 

• Access to tailored business support and advice
• A professional business address
• A high quality, professional environment
• Access to free and subsidised training and seminars
• A well stocked business library of reference books
• Secure computer access
• Use of office equipment and meeting rooms
• Help with presentations and pitches
• Information on financial support, including grants
• A centrally located facility with easy reach of public transport

If you feel that your idea for a new product or service is a little bit special, telephone us on 01495 355700 for an application form, or just call into the Centre and pick one up.  You will be made very welcome.

Free Entry Into the Blaenau Gwent & Five Counties Business Directory

The Economic Development Unit at Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council is in the process of working closely with four other local authorities to create an “On Line” Business Directory.

As well as a local business directory, purely for businesses based in Blaenau Gwent there will be an over arching business directory, accommodating businesses across the 5 authority areas of Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Monmouthshire and Newport.

The business directory will provide you with the opportunity to take advantage of a free marketing facility to assist with the promotion and development of your business.