Loïc Moinon arrived in Wales from France two decades ago with nothing. Now he’s invested more than £1 million of his own money into a 44-unit business park in Llandow after growing frustrated at the shortage of affordable modern industrial space.
The Development Bank of Wales has backed his vision with a £2.83 million loan.
Orchard Business Park addresses what Moinon, managing director of LM Prop, discovered when searching for premises for his own business: decent units either don’t exist or cost too much. The experience convinced him other local firms faced the same problem. So he decided to build the solution himself.
“This project started from a very simple frustration,” Moinon explained. “I was trying to find a modern unit for my own business and either couldn’t find the right space or found myself priced out. That made me realise there was a real gap in the market locally, and that many other businesses were likely facing the same problem.”
The first 21 units will be ready by summer 2026. A second phase, delivering the remaining 23 units, should follow in the first half of 2027. Between 150 and 180 jobs are expected once the Vale of Glamorgan site is fully occupied.
RDR Contractors, a local firm based at Rosedew Farm in Llantwit Major, won the build contract. Managing director Rhodri Davies, whose business interests span farming, hospitality and construction, will use local labour and suppliers wherever possible.
“Orchard Business Park is a great example of what local business can achieve when investment is backed by ambition and delivery,” Davies noted. “This scheme has been designed locally, is being built locally and will create opportunities for local businesses and local people.”
Each unit will include optic fibre, three-phase power, toilets, parking and communal electric vehicle chargers. Mezzanines can be arranged for occupiers wanting to tailor the space. Specifications aim to appeal to both new ventures and established businesses seeking to expand.
Enquiries have already started arriving. Brinsons, the designated agents, are handling interest from businesses across the region looking for flexible, well-specified premises.
The Wales Commercial Property Fund, which provided the loan, targets exactly this kind of project: speculative and non-speculative office and industrial developments that address clear market shortages. The fund offers between £250,000 and £5 million over terms of up to five years.
Since 2017, the Development Bank has invested £27 million in commercial property projects, creating 270,000 square feet of space across Wales. Small industrial units remain in particularly short supply in South Wales, where demand from growing businesses consistently outstrips availability.
Karl Jones, senior property development executive at the Development Bank of Wales, acknowledged Moinon’s personal commitment to the scheme.
“Orchard Business Park is exactly the type of development the Wales Commercial Property Fund is there to support,” Jones said. “It is a well-located scheme that addresses clear market demand, creates space for businesses to grow and brings wider economic benefits to the local area.”
He added: “Loïc has shown real commitment to making this project happen, backed by significant personal investment and a determination to deliver something that will make a lasting difference. We’re pleased to support Phase 1 and to help unlock a scheme that will support jobs, enterprise and local supply chains in the Vale.”
For Moinon, the development represents more than a commercial opportunity. It’s about reinvesting in the community that gave him a chance.
“I’m immensely proud of what Orchard Business Park represents,” he said. “I came to Wales from France around 20 years ago with nothing, built businesses here and have always believed in reinvesting locally. This scheme is about giving other local firms the chance to grow on their doorstep, in high-quality premises with excellent access links, while creating jobs and using local contractors and suppliers wherever possible.”
Rhodri Davies echoed that sentiment. “We’re proud to be involved in a development that will benefit the Vale community, support entrepreneurship and provide the kind of modern business space that is in short supply.”
The Development Bank, established in 2017 as a public finance institution owned by the Welsh Government, now manages £2 billion in funds. It has invested over £1 billion in almost 5,000 Welsh businesses and property developers, supporting more than 53,000 jobs and generating over £5.8 billion in jobs-based gross value added—an almost sixfold return. That investment has unlocked a further £665 million in private sector co-finance.
The Llandow scheme joins a growing portfolio of small industrial developments across Wales designed to plug gaps in the market for affordable, modern business space. As regional economies look to support post-pandemic growth, demand for such premises has intensified.
By summer 2026, when the first tenants move into Orchard Business Park, Moinon’s personal frustration will have transformed into 21 units ready for occupation. Whether that frustration was widely shared will become clear once the keys are handed over.