Plans for new business park on Wrexham Industrial Estate “could deliver almost 500 jobs”

Plans to create a new business park on Wrexham Industrial Estate have formally been entered in a bid to boost the area’s economy.

An application has been put forward to Wrexham Council to develop around 22 hectares of land which used to form part of an old Royal Ordnance Factory off Oak Road.

Cefn Park Developments Ltd, which owns the site known as “The Oaks”, said the proposals were worth an estimated £29m and could deliver almost 500 new jobs.

Permission was previously granted for an industrial scheme at the same location in 2000.

Although consent has since lapsed, planning agents acting on the company’s behalf said developers were lined up ready to transform the plot.

In documents accompanying the application, they said: “We would predict that the site could generate employment supporting a total of around 481 jobs.

“The total project contract value for this project is in the region of £29m and this will help to secure existing construction jobs based locally and create new ones.

“In what are still tough economic times; skilled jobs in the locality that will help maintain employment and provide and contribute towards the ongoing economic investment in the locality is a significant bonus.

“This proposal seeks to deliver jobs, economic growth and prosperity into the local economy.”

Part of the land was home to a Royal Ordnance Factory which was built during World War II at a cost of £10.9m and was said to be one of the largest in the UK.

It was officially opened in 1941 and employed thousands of workers, including those involved in the production of explosives such as cordite and nitroglycerine.

After it was closed in 1945, the town’s industrial estate began to emerge around it.

Some of the original ordnance buildings still remain on the site and CADW has expressed an interested in recognising them as ancient monuments.

The company behind the scheme said it had taken the historic structures into account.

They said: “On balance this assessment finds that the overall impact and consequence of the proposed would have a less than substantial impact upon the former ROF Wrexham, its setting and significance.

“In addition, the development proposal will bring substantial public benefits such as increased employment opportunities securing existing and generating new jobs.”

The proposals will be considered by the council at a later date.

*Pictures: Land Studio

By Liam Randall – BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).