Posted: Wed 10th Jul 2019

Council’s Executive Board look to partners to help deliver large regeneration of the Mold Road corridor

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Jul 10th, 2019

An aspirational masterplan that aims to see the regeneration of the Mold Road corridor and create a “high quality gateway into town” has been backed by councillors.

It comes off the back Wrexham Council, Welsh Government, Wrexham AFC and Wrexham Glyndŵr University unveiling their vision behind the Wrexham Gateway Project.

Described as a “large-scale civic and economic redevelopment”, the project aims to revamp a large area of the Mold Road corridor and a create a hub

Key elements of the project desired includes the development of a large public transport interchange at Wrexham General Railway Station; the redevelopment of the Kop end of the Racecourse Stadium and the ‘wider development’ of the Racecourse; the creation of a major, a regionally important conference venue, a hotel and more.

The Welsh Government and the Council jointly commissioned a feasibility study and master-planning exercise along the Mold Road Corridor – with a steering group set up “to manage the commission and agree the vision for the area”.

Speaking at this weeks executive board meeting Cllr Mark Pritchard, leader of Wrexham Council said the proposals for a “high quality gateway into town” will help “create a sense of arrival and a positive first impression” of Wrexham.

He added: “I believe days of ourselves delivering things as a council on our own have gone. We have to work in true partnership to achieve these aspirations for the town, for Wrexham and Wrexham as a place within the North Wales region.

“I believe Wrexham is the capital of North Wales. I think this is an opportunity for all of us to work in true partnership to deliver this.

“I think it is deliverable and I think it is a fantastic opportunity that mustn’t be missed.”

Cllr Dana Davies, leader of the labour group, said: “There has been a lack of collaboration in the past.

“I firmly believe that we wouldn’t have a football club sat on Mold Road if it wasn’t for the work of Wrexham Supporters Trust. That club has difficult owners in the past.

“I am really heartened by the information in the report, it is fantastic for Wrexham.

“What’s happening with transport and infrastructure around there is is a starting point for Wrexham, and I think locally we can build on this.

However Cllr Marc Jones, who represents the Grosvenor ward, said that whilst he welcomes the aspirations for the site, they should be “treated with an air of caution” after previous promises were not delivered.

Last week Cllr Jones and Plaid Cymru launched a petition to ensure funding to develop the Kop end of the Racecourse as part of a wider masterplan for the Mold Road Gateway.

The petition expresses support for the Racecourse Regeneration to create a 5,000-seater stand with appropriate conferencing and exhibition facilities on Crispin Lane.

More than 1,000 people have signed the petition so far, which calls for the Welsh Government to provide the necessary funding to allow the Racecourse regeneration to take place.

Cllr Jones said in the Executive Board meeting : “As a note of caution in my welcome as in 2006 we were promised the Millennium Stadium of the north by the Welsh Government. In 2009 we were promised that any profits from Wrexham Village would go to a new stand. We are still waiting for those promises to be delivered.

“This promise and wonderful vision we have for the Mold Road Gateway, it looks good on paper but we have to have the finances to it up. Unless we have the finances it will go nowhere and it will be another promise which gathers dust on the shelf.

“I would like to see this council putting all its weight behind and pressure on Welsh Government to deliver something here in North Wales as they have done in Newport and Cardiff.”

In response Cllr Pritchard offered assurances that there would be no false promises or gathering dust – and that it wasn’t about “campaigning or challenging”.

Reiterating his earlier comments, he said: “The days of Conservative against Labour and Labour against Conservative or Plaid and everybody arguing are gone.

“The way forward is to work in true partnership regardless of what flag you fly and what colour it is, to improve Wrexham as a place.

“To me it’s hold that campaigning and challenging, you’ve got to and get everyone around the table working together and you can achieve a lot for Wrexham and North Wales.”

Executive board members voted in favour of the following recommendations:

– Notes the aspiration of the Masterplan Study as described;
– Approve that the Council continues to work with the Partnership and other key stakeholders (to include Transport for Wales and Wrexham AFC) to progress with developing the
masterplan;
– Authorise the Chief Officer Housing & Economy in consultation with the Leader of the Council, Lead Member for Economy – Economic Development & Regeneration and Chief Officer for Finance and ICT to secure further resources, if required, to aid and enhance the outcomes of the masterplan; and
– Authorises the Chief Officer Housing & Economy to engage with stakeholders on the emerging masterplan.



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