Celtic Manor expansion set to start

Construction of the new International Convention Centre Wales (ICC Wales) will begin in March after funding details were agreed between the Welsh Government, Celtic Manor Resort and NatWest (part of the RBS Group).

NatWest’s local corporate team will provide a £51.5M loan facility to the joint venture company, which will construct and manage the new convention centre as a 50/50 partnership between Welsh Government and Celtic Manor Resort. A construction contract was also signed with the principal building contractor, John Sisk and Son.

With a total development cost of £83.7M including car parking and external landscaping, ICC Wales will be capable of accommodating up to 5,000 delegates with a total floor space exceeding 26,000m2. It is expected that the new facility will open for business in June 2019.

The centre will house a 1,500-seat auditorium and separate steel-framed exhibition hall which, at 4,000m², will provide the largest pillar-free ballroom in Europe, capable of hosting 2,400 people for a gala dinner.

Celtic Manor Resort Chairman Sir Terry Matthews said: “This International Convention Centre has been many years in the planning and I am delighted that we are now in a position to build and deliver this facility that will be such an asset to Wales.

“This International Convention Centre will allow us to attract the biggest and most lucrative business events to Wales, as well as high-profile summits and party political conferences.”

Excavation work has already begun on land adjacent to the Resort Hotel and existing Convention Centre at Celtic Manor, clearing the way for the two-year construction project to commence in March.

As well as the auditorium and main hall, included in the detailed designs are five divisible meeting rooms that will create a further 12 flexible spaces, breakouts at all levels to outdoor networking spaces, state-of-the-art technology with fully integrated audio visual facilities and fully serviced client offices, green rooms and production facilities.

A 2,500m² plaza will welcome visitors to the new centre and provide additional networking and exhibition space. There will be HGV loading bays direct to both the auditorium and main hall, and 700 car parking spaces will be created under the facility with direct access to the ICC Wales arrival atrium.