Cooke & Arkwright

Conference fully booked

16/07/08

The Conference Centre in East Moors Road, Cardiff, has been fully let less than five months after the completion of comprehensive refurbishment works on 7,000 sq ft of unoccupied space, with the last deal being signed in April. Acting on behalf of property company Kennson, Cooke & Arkwright has let the newly created Monmouth, Pembroke and Harlech suites to BJF Architects and to Cardiff County Council to house its Flying Start and Childcare Strategy teams. They join long term occupier e-academy, which provides IT learning solutions in Wales.

Flying Start is a Welsh Assembly funded programme of work supporting families and very young children.  Avril Hooper, Operational Manager of the Flying Start Programme said, “Improving outcomes for children aged between 0 and 3yrs 11months living in targeted areas of the city is the main objective of the Flying Start programme.  Our new office accommodation at the Pembroke Suite provides us with an excellent facility for both the programme’s management team and for practitioners responsible for delivering services to children and families. We waited a long time to find offices to suit our needs and we know without hesitation that we have found them at the Pembroke Suite.”

Brian Fox of BJF Architects commented, “The Monmouth Suite has proved to be ideal accommodation for our “architect’s studio” concept with a primarily open plan space, but complimented by private offices, conference, and kitchen facilities. Ease of access to our offices is paramount to our business and this location is ideal for our purposes.”

Kennson was advised on the refurbishment and lettings by Rhydian Morgan of Cooke & Arkwright, who said that the previous cellular accommodation had suited former occupier Stradform, but didn’t make the best use of the space or match current market expectations.

“A greater net lettable area was achieved by demolishing the awkward cellular layout, creating more floor space and three new self contained, open plan contemporary suites,” he said.  “The short time scale taken to dispose of these premises demonstrates the benefits of identifying the optimal use of space – in this case suites of between 1,500 and 2,800 sq ft - and investing in refurbishment, making it more conducive to letting.”

The Conference Centre also benefits from plenty of parking space and close proximity to the city centre and Cardiff Bay. 

Matt Haines of Kennson said, “We were very happy with Cooke & Arkwright again on this scheme. Following their advice we created three very welcoming suites which can easily be adjoined to accommodate greater needs if required. The whole package hit the spot with regards to the current market requirement and we are now very pleased that the building is fully let so soon after the completion of works.”

Pictured, l to r: Rhydian Morgan, Cooke & Arkwright; Bernice Bird and Avril Hooper, Flying Start; Matt Haines, Kennson; Brenda Davies, Childcare Strategy; Brian Fox, BJF Architects

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