Leading South Wales international construction consultants Lewis and Lewis Ltd has been appointed to a key role on the new Wales International Convention Centre project at Celtic Manor.
Lewis and Lewis Ltd, which has been associated with Sir Terry Matthews’ Celtic Manor Resort since the earliest days, has been appointed project managers, cost consultants and construction design management consultants (CDMC), on the high-profile scheme.
Newport planners have given outline planning permission for the 200,000 sq ft scheme set to be built over three floors adjacent to the existing resort at Junction 24 of the M4. The iconic centre will have a main auditorium and exhibition hall able to cater for 4,000 delegates and an associated multi-storey car park.
Celtic Manor, Newport, hosted the NATO Summit in September and will attract more major conferences and events to South Wales with construction of the new convention centre.
Lewis Lewis, director of Corporate & Client Services for the UK & Middle East at Newport-based Lewis and Lewis, said: “We are enormously proud of the work that we have completed for Celtic Manor over the past three decades. We will now be looking to build on that record with the construction of this convention centre which will be of massive importance not just to Celtic Manor but to the city of Newport and the South Wales region as a whole.”
Lewis said initial ground works will start in the summer of 2015, subject to full planning permission being granted. He said securing the work has led to the immediate creation of new jobs at Lewis and Lewis Ltd.
Architects for the scheme are international design practice Scott Brownrigg, which has an office in Callaghan Square, Cardiff.
Lewis said: “This is an extremely significant step for the entire region and not just for the jobs created and the injection of money into the economy. Figures show that function at the convention centre itself will lead to the creation of an additional 100,000 hotel room nights per year in the region with the Celtic Manor only able to accommodate 20,000 of those.
“The convention centre will be a catalyst for change and mass investment in the entire region. New businesses will have to be created to cope with the influx of people using the new centre. The Celtic Manor Convention Centre is of global significance for Newport and Wales.”
Lewis said the new centre would allow Celtic Manor to handle large global company conferences which they currently have to turn away due to space restrictions and where requirements exceed current facilities.
Lewis and Lewis Ltd, based at Devon Place, Newport, have been associated with Celtic Manor for more than 25 years. The firm project managed the creation of the current resort when it expanded from the former Celtic Manor Hotel and also managed the construction of other significant developments at the resort such as the Twenty Ten Clubhouse and other works related to the 2010 Ryder Cup.
Lewis and Lewis Ltd has built up a strong reputation for providing services such as quantity surveying, project management, CDM (construction design and management) co-ordination, employers’ agent and project monitoring services across United Kingdom, Europe and Middle East.
Along with their headquarters in Newport Lewis and Lewis Ltd, which employs 27 people including consultants, have offices in London and Bristol as well as in Dubai in the Middle East. Established in 1986 the practice became a limited company in 1996 trading as Lewis and Lewis Ltd.
