Council Look To Sell Off Prime Town Centre Development Site

Wrexham Council has commissioned a property consultancy to sell off a prominent town centre development site on the old Cambrian Yard.

The 1.0 hectare (2.55 acre) site, has been listed for sale with the Liverpool office of Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH) who describe themselves as ‘a national commercial property consultancy’.

Wrexham.com has enquired to the recent history of the ownership of the site, as locally it is known the land was formally owned by the Welsh Government, and earlier this year there was reference made to an affordable housing scheme on the site in connection to the forthcoming ‘masterplan’ for the town.

Wrexham Council have told us: “The land was acquired from Welsh Government at market value. The land has always been a key site for the regeneration of this part of the town. A mixed use development is preferred and this is what he Council expects the market to deliver.”

Due to the connection with the Welsh Government, we asked if there was any receipts due back to the WG following any sale, Wrexham Council said: “Any proceeds from the sale of the site will be 100% invested in the Council’s affordable housing programme. The agreement with Welsh Government is that 100% of the proceeds of any sale will be reinvested in the Council’s affordable housing programme.”

We are told that in line with the particulars circulated this afternoon, ‘the development may comprise housing but not exclusively’, and ‘the land was acquired by the Council to enable it to take a more proactive approach to the development of the site for mixed use development’.

The sales information placed in the public domain today states “The site, which has been cleared in preparation for any proposed future development, is being marketed by LSH as a mixed-use development opportunity, with potential for leisure, restaurant, hotel and residential uses. A planning brief has been produced by Wrexham Council providing additional information on preferred uses, for parties wishing to seek planning approval.”

Giving a quote via the agent’s PR company Councillor Neil Rogers, Lead Member for Economic Development and Regeneration, said: “We welcome this development as it provides an opportunity to develop a piece of land that has been dormant for a number of years.”

Robert Diggle Divisional Director of Agency & Investment at LSH’s Liverpool office adds: “This is a unique opportunity to purchase and develop the freehold of a large site in a prominent location with a prominent frontage to St Giles Way and with a popular area of Wrexham. With huge potential for development for a variety of uses, we are anticipating a high level of interest in the site and look forward to talking to any interested parties.”