29 Jul 2020
This week sees work begin on installing Transport for Wales’ (TfW) branding to its brand-new headquarters at Llys Cadwyn in the heart of Pontypridd's town centre.
TfW announced back in 2017 that it would be moving out of its Welsh capital location and creating a new home for its workforce in the South Wales valleys, as part of its commitment to support Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s ambitious regeneration plans and inward investment activities.
James Price, Transport for Wales CEO, said:
"We’ve been planning our move to Pontypridd for over three years, so having our branding displayed in the heart of the town centre is going to be a proud and an exceptionally significant moment for the TfW team, not to mention all our partners, particularly the Welsh Government and our colleagues in Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, who have played an important role in helping us turn our aspirations of creating a headquarters of the future into a reality.
“Our move to Pontypridd comes at a time when the town and its people have endured significant tragedy and hardship following the devastating floods at the beginning of the year, and then fast on its heels came the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. Our arrival, I very much hope, will bring high levels of excitement and anticipation from the local communities as our journey to Pontypridd moves ever closer and we become a major part of the town. We’ll bring with us a huge economic boost and hundreds of jobs into Pontypridd as we continue to strive forward in delivering a sustainable transport network which the people of Wales can be proud of.
“We still may be an organisation still in its infancy, but we’ve bold and ambitious plans that we’re delivering on. Our Annual Report, which we released only last week, provides a good overview of what we’ve achieved in the past 12 months, and we’ve lots of exciting things still to do. As we continue to grow, we’re continuing to create new jobs and opportunities, including our new Graduate Programme, which we’ll be launching in the autumn. The challenges of coronavirus have not stopped us successfully recruiting and inducting new people into the TfW family. New roles and placements are being advertised regularly and I’d urge anyone who is interested in joining our talented and dedicated team to register their interest on our website https://tfw.wales/info-for/job-hunters
“We want to be recognised as an innovative world-class organisation, and we want our brand and all that it represents to become an iconic part of the Wales-brand family. Hopefully, the people of Pontypridd can proudly look back in years to come and say this is where TfW’s journey began.”
Councillor Andrew Morgan, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said:
“Transport for Wales continues to make positive progress in occupying 3 Llys Cadwyn, with the new branding signalling the final steps before their move to Pontypridd.
“This marks an exciting time for Pontypridd, which is central to the South Wales Metro scheme. The town will see 24 trains per hour stop at Pontypridd, 12 travelling north and 12 travelling south, providing a modern, efficient and frequent service to support employment and leisure opportunities for residents.
“The coronavirus national emergency has highlighted the need to support our town centres more than ever before, and with the relocation of Transport for Wales to Pontypridd, there is expected to be an increase in the Town Centre footfall each day – providing a boost to existing traders.
“With 1 Llys Cadwyn already in operation, people can see for themselves that RCT Council are serious about investing in the very latest facilities and infrastructure, for the benefit of residents – while also creating economic growth and prosperity for Rhondda Cynon Taf.
“Llys Cadwyn will be a brilliant asset for Pontypridd, and has already revitalised this strategic site in the Town Centre – which lay derelict for many years. The development will bring an economic boost to existing businesses, and is just one of the exciting projects being delivered locally in the near future.”
Llys Cadwyn will be TfW's headquarters, but it will continue to have teams based at the Treforest Hub, Taff's Well Depot and its North Wales office in Wrexham. Its Catering teams will also continue to be based in one of its four service station locations – Carmarthen, Chester, Newport and Shrewsbury.
Notes to editors
The Agreement for Lease with Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council for 3 Llys Cadwyn was signed by TfW in October 2019. RCT Council’s building contractor, Willmott Dixon is on track to complete the work by this autumn, with RCT Council set to officially hand over the keys to the building to TfW on 19 October 2020. TfW will officially sign the 15-year lease when it takes occupation.
Despite the challenges that the coronavirus has brought to the construction industry over the past few months, work to make sure TfW can look forward to the move to Pontypridd in 2020 has continued, and most importantly within Welsh Government guidance. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of all those involved, right through from the early planning stages in 2017 to delivering the finer details as it reaches final completion later this year. Whilst timelines have inevitably been pushed back by a few weeks due to the pandemic, TfW is confident that they’ll be in an excellent position to start moving its staff in this autumn, as initially planned.
3 Llys Cadwyn will initially be home to around 300 TfW staff from across its ten different departments, and colleagues from Transport for Wales Rail Services will also cohabit the building. More people are also set to move in, as the organisation continues to go grow over the next few years.
The interior of the building has been carefully designed to reflect its organisational values as well as the needs of its staff. It has a strong emphasis on harnessing collaborative working practices as it continues to develop its workforce culture and strive to become an employer of choice in Wales. Equality, diversity and inclusion has also greatly influenced the design, with a reflection room and non-binary changing rooms and toilets available for staff and visitors.
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to have an impact on how organisations across the world are working, it’s expected that most of its staff will continue to work flexibly, wherever possible, to allow TfW to work within the Welsh Government guidance in its places of work. Working arrangement across all its working locations, including Llys Cadwyn, are continually being reviewed in line with the guidance, and the safety of its staff and customers continue to be its top priority.
TfW’s Annual Report for 2019/20 is available here.
