Remote working hub in Rhyl to offer people an alternative to working from home

Locations across Wales are being made available for remote working, giving people an alternative to working from home or working in a traditional office environment.

The Welsh Government is encouraging an increase in remote working and has set a long-term ambition for 30 per cent of the Welsh workforce to work away from a traditional office, to be achieved by giving people more options and choice on their workplace.

This ambition is intended to help town centres, reduce congestion and cut carbon emissions.

TownSq’s latest hub at Costigan’s in Rhyl town centre has undergone a refurbishment and will have desks for local people to work remotely – in partnership with Denbighshire County Council.

The project is inviting employees and businesses to come forward if they would like to try working locally to where they live and rent space in order to provide more choice for their employees.

Where applicable the desks are free for the period of the 12 month pilots which will be open when Covid restrictions allow.

More locations will be confirmed in the coming months and people are still being invited to suggest locations through an engagement exercise hosted by Commonplace.

Lee Waters, Deputy Economy and Transport Minister, said: “One of the lessons we’ve learned from the pandemic is that many people don’t want or need to be in a traditional office environment.

“Remote working can help people escape the commute and develop a better work-life balance. For businesses there’s a real opportunity to maintain and increase productivity while making their staff happier.

“We’re not approaching this looking for a one-size-fits-all solution. The locations will help develop evidence across a range of different circumstances and will help inform our thinking as the policy develops.

“I encourage businesses to grasp this opportunity and be part of the future of the Welsh workplace.”

Senior Community Manager for TownSq, Carl Turner, said: “Many of us have been working from home for much of this past year.

“Whilst there are some real positives, like waking up later, booting the commute and spending more time with family, it can also be tough living and working in the same space 24/7.

“Spaces like Costigan’s are easy to access and provide all the support and facilities people need to get ahead, be it growing their own business, or just grabbing some headspace to get their work done.”