Data centre companies eye struggling business park

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter 

Data centre companies have expressed interest in a south Wales business park which has struggled to attract tenants for years, a meeting heard.

Parc Felindre in Swansea is north of junction 46 of the M4 and has 12 plots of land – most of which are divided into two parcels – and only one occupant, logistics firm DPD, which has taken up two plots.

The site is a joint venture between Swansea Council and the Welsh Government and includes a large chunk of land earmarked for hundreds of homes. The Welsh Government said new proposals for a housing-led scheme were being discussed.

Council leader Rob Stewart told a council scrutiny meeting there have been enquiries from data centre companies given the power supply available at Parc Felindre but he said this would require a “significant reconfiguration” which could be an option for the future.

He added data centre companies didn’t in his view tend to create many jobs. He said there have been enquiries from other parties as well but they didn’t match the uses outlined for Parc Felindre or weren’t compatible with the way it’s configured.

The Labour leader had been asked about the site by Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Holley, who said it had been “a real let-down” given how much money had been invested there.

A report before the service improvement, regeneration and finance scrutiny panel said heads of terms had been agreed for the disposal of two plots at Parc Felindre for start-up units and that marketing of the site continued.

The land used to be home to a tinplate works which was demolished in 1996. In 2018 it emerged that £36m of Welsh Government, EU and Swansea Council money had been spent preparing and promoting Parc Felindre, which extends to 106 acres.

Just under 40 acres is set aside for employment at the 12 plots and the strategy has been to attract high-tech manufacturing and what are referred to as emerging industries.

Cllr Holley, who led the council between 2004 and 2012, said he could recall half a dozen interested parties visiting the business park but not putting pen to paper.

Cllr Stewart said further discussions had taken place with Welsh Government officials and that the council would look to see what could be done to help “unlock” the site. “Because I think we need to make a decision about whether we stick to the original proposals about how it would be developed or change track and try to get the site away but with different uses on it,” he said.

The DVLA is currently using two of plots at Parc Felindre as a park and ride for its Clase headquarters south of the M4.

The wider Parc Felindre site has land earmarked for up to 800 homes with a primary school, a village hall and green spaces.

The Welsh Government put forward outline plans for a major housing development there called Pentre Felindre in 2018. Further reports were needed about the site’s constraints, such as the presence of high-pressure water main and areas at risk of flooding, and the application hasn’t been determined.

Delivery models

In June 2025 the Welsh Government said it was considering potential delivery models for Pentre Felindre and hoped to be able to make a decision shortly.

The report before the scrutiny panel this week said discussions were taking place between Codi, a housing association, and the Welsh Government about a potential “option agreement” for a Pentre Felindre scheme. The meeting heard Codi was updating its proposal which would then be shared with the Welsh Government and the council.

The Welsh Government told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that development proposals for a proposed mixed-use housing-led residential settlement were at a very early stage.

It said both it and the council, as joint venture partners, would need to consent to the granting of an option agreement to a third party. Housing association Codi said it couldn’t provide any detail at this early stage.