Scott Brownrigg’s design for the Wales’ International Convention Centre at Celtic Manor, Newport was granted planning permission on Wednesday 3 June. The planning committee at Newport City Council unanimously approved the scheme, hailing the development as a “statement building of high quality”  and “essential to Newport”.

Located close to Celtic Manor’s existing hotel and conference facilities at Coldra Woods, Newport, the 27,000 sq m development is set to be one of the largest of its kind in Wales and the South West of England and will attract major events from across the world, with a state-of-the-art auditorium, exhibition hall and associated facilities for approx. 3,000 delegates, The separate exhibition hall of 4,000 sq m has the flexibility to be divided into smaller spaces to host various sized events simultaneously, and can accommodate up to 3,000 guests for gala dinners. Two storeys of basement parking for 700 cars have been designed underneath the main hall as well as a new multi-storey car park over four floors with another 290 spaces.

Celtic Manor Resort Vice-President of Facilities and Development Russell Phillips said: “We are excited by the news that this project has won full planning approval from Newport City Council. We secured outline planning last July and, since then, we’ve been talking with local residents, the council and environment agencies, as well as our conference clients and experts from the convention industry, to ensure our final planning submission was as comprehensive as possible. We are delighted with the detailed final plans drawn up by Scott Brownrigg and we look forward to seeing them come to fruition over the next few years of construction.”

Neil MacOmish, Group Board Director at Scott Brownrigg said in response to the permission: “We are delighted that our design for the Wales’ International Convention Centre has received planning permission. Scott Brownrigg’s design will create a memorable visitor experience and provide a lasting contribution to the special place, context and environment, not just of the Celtic Manor Resort but of this part of Wales. The building expresses a permanence and longevity appropriate to the significance of this major strategic and high profile project”.

Scott Brownrigg’s design provides a simple ‘groundscraper’ – a strong form that expresses the primary functions and maintains its relationship with the adjacent woodland internally through evident, strong sight lines. The use of slate, indigenous to Wales, provides a strong visual form, evident from the adjacent motorway and complements the distinct form of the Celtic Manor hotel.

Celtic Manor Resort Chairman Sir Terry Matthews said: “We’ve made no secret of our desire to expand our successful business at the Celtic Manor and build on our status as the No 1 conference hotel in the UK. This International Convention Centre will rival any convention facility in Europe and act as a magnet for major events, bringing huge benefits to the Welsh economy.”

Work on Wales International Convention Centre will commence onsite at the end of this year, with a scheduled completion date in 2019.

The scheme has recently been featured on BBC News and Wales Online.