Wrexham industrial estate expansion plans given green light

Plans to expand Wrexham Industrial Estate in order to address a shortage of available premises have been given the green light.

The largest landlord on the estate entered proposals to create new industrial units at sites on Clywedog Road North and South towards the end of last year.

First Investment Real Estate Management said all of its properties are currently occupied, but it continues to receive queries from new businesses.

As a result, the company has entered a series of applications, two of which were discussed by Wrexham Council’s planning committee meeting this week.

Both gained the approval of councillors after an agent acting on the firm’s behalf told them there had been ‘significant’ interest in the sites.

Discussing a scheme on land opposite Wilkinson Business Park, Justin Paul said industrial units were being put forward because of the lack of demand for office space.

He added that it had been designed to prevent any problems for people living on the nearby Pentre Maelor housing estate.
He said: “First Investments support some 60 companies on the estate which employ 1,200 people across half a million square foot of premises.

“In drawing up this particular scheme, First Investments gave much great thought to how the interface with the neighbouring Pentre Maelor housing estate to the east would work.

“The Unitary Development Plan permits offices and/or light industrial units opposite the Wilson Industrial Park.
“Notwithstanding the lack of demand for offices, and that’s been supported by your own economic development team and marketed for many years, we’d argue that the offices could’ve resulted in a far more intensive use of this site.
“The proposed use will serve to ensure all activities are facing away from the estate.”

An outline plan of the scheme shows around 9,000 square metres of land will be developed at the site.

Meanwhile, eleven units will be built on land at Clywedog Road North, covering an area of more than 3,000 square metres.
Some concerns were raised about the former site because of the potential impact of noise on neighbours.
It led to councillors putting a condition in place to restrict the use of one of the units until details of the business taking it over are known.

Committee chair Mike Morris, who represents residents living on the housing estate, said: “My main concern is not so much the development of the land because it’s always been earmarked for employment purposes.

“Previously we’ve had straightforward issues like (companies) leaving doors open in hot weather like this and therefore the noise transmits out and that’s difficult to control going forward.”

All but one of the committee members voted to grant permission subject to restricting certain types of industrial activities, such as manufacturing.

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