A prime development site in Swansea has been bought by one of the biggest car dealerships in Wales.
Day's Motor Group has acquired an eight acre site in the Llansamlet area of the city from Swansea council in a near £2m deal.
As well as potentially building a new used car supermarket on the land, Day's Motor Group is also considering plans for a wider mixed-used scheme incorporating both retail and industrial space.
The firm, which has a turnover in access of £200m, could also sell part of the land for other investment opportunities.
The site off Clase Road is opposite an Asda store.
Martin Nicholls, director of place at Swansea Council, said: “We’re delighted to have sold this development site to Day’s Motor Group, a very well-established local company with such a great reputation across South Wales and beyond.
“The development of this site will boost the nearby community by transforming an area of wasteland, while also creating jobs for local people.
“This sale is the latest example of identifying land and property that’s surplus to the council’s requirements as we look to become leaner and more cost-effective than ever before.
“With money from sales of this kind being reinvested back into council services, Swansea residents as a whole are also benefitting.”
Day’s Motor Group has a 91-year history, having been founded by Charles Edward Manton Day in 1926 on St Helen’s Road in Swansea, where the business initially employed eight people.
Now one of the largest private employers in South Wales, the company employs about 600 people.
Russell Day, managing director of Day’s Motor Group, said: “We are delighted to have acquired eight acres in Llansamlet, opposite Asda.
"The site and prime location offers great potential for the Day’s Motor group to further develop its core business activities and to create local Swansea jobs that will benefit both the local economy and the community.”
Real estate consultancy Knight Frank supported Swansea Council with the marketing and sale of the land, which has been disused for many years
CLC Chartered Surveyors acted on behalf of Day’s Motor Group.
Neil Francis, partner at Knight Frank, said: “We are delighted to have achieved this sale for our client within a relatively quick timescale.
"There was significant interest in the site and the sale was concluded via a best bids situation which highlights that the demand for well-located sites within Swansea continues to be strong.”
Other recent Swansea Council sales include Dan-y-Coed House in West Cross, which was sold for £1.2m to Orbis Group, a specialist education provider working in the autism spectrum disorder sector.
Best offers for the council’s Pipehouse Wharf depot off Morfa Road are also being invited by the end of June.
