Johnsey Estates has completed the sale of the last plot of land at Westgate, a 12.9 mixed use development fronting the A465 Heads of the Valleys road in Abergavenny.

Munich headquartered Ionity has acquired the land to build and operate a high-power charging station for electric vehicles. There will be 12  chargers with up to 350 kW charging capacity for ultrafast charging, all of which will be powered by 100% renewable energy for carbon-neutral driving.

As a joint venture of the car manufacturers BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Volkwagen, Audi and Porsche along with BlackRock’s Global Renewable Power Platform as financial investor, Ionity will start construction at the Westgate site as soon as planning consent is formalised.

With a total sales in excess of £9 million, property development company Johnsey Estates sold the first plot for development at Westgate to Persimmon Homes in 2014 for 43 units. This was followed by a plot sale for a Premier Inn with 61 bedrooms and an adjoining Brewers Fayre restaurant. The first drive-through McDonalds in Monmouthshire opened on the site in November 2016 with the creation of 65 jobs.

In October 2017, Costa Coffee opened a drive through that was built by Cardiff construction company Carter Lauren on behalf of Johnsey Estates, which sold the building subsequently with the benefit of the lease to Costa Coffee to a third party private property investor. Foxhunter Estates acquired plots for a 60 bedroom care home and 24 retirement bungalows, and Gwent Police were granted planning permission in October 2022 for construction work to start on the new Abergavenny Police Station at Westgate which is due to open during 2024.

Chief Executive of Johnsey Estates, James Crawford said:

“Our landbank is strategically positioned throughout Monmouthshire, Torfaen and Newport within a portfolio that includes office, and industrial properties. Common to all is our commitment to leaving a lasting positive legacy in each location.

“This landmark deal with Ionity brings to a close our work over the last eight year period to develop Westgate as a prime mixed use site. We have worked closely with Monmouthshire County Council to maximise the value of the land to the local economy and bring jobs to the area. We’ve also been very mindful of the need for good placemaking, particularly given that the land backs on to a World Heritage site and will incorporate access to the proposed new Velo Park.”

Johnsey Estates was originally set up in October 1958 as TA Johnsey Ltd by the late Terry and Margaret Johnsey to develop a site at Gaskell Street in Newport which had been acquired for their transport business.

Johnsey Estates’ property portfolio includes Mamhilad Park Estate, a business park offering over 300,000 square feet of high quality office space and 1,150,000 square feet of industrial space including the former Nylon Spinners complex. As one of post-war Wales’ largest buildings, the footprint is two-and-half-times the size of London’s regenerated Battersea Power Station.

With over 180 occupiers on site, Mamhilad Park Estate is a thriving business location to some 1,800 people spanning a diverse range of sectors including professional services, warehousing, distribution and the public sector. Outline planning permission for a new urban village with 900 homes was approved by Torfaen County Borough Council in July 2020.