“Major step forward” for Brymbo as agreement ‘unlocks over £10m of funding for heritage attraction’

Plans for a major new heritage project and visitor attraction for Brymbo, near Wrexham, have been progressed following a completion of an agreement for lease between the site owner, Brymbo Developments Ltd (BDL) and local community regeneration charity, Brymbo Heritage Trust (BHT).

The two parties have signed an agreement for lease for a 25-year lease over a 65-acre site. BHT will operate the site and deliver restoration works and projects which will preserve and celebrate Brymbo’s industrial past, conserve a 300-million-year-old fossil forest and provide an area for community events, activities, and all-age learning.

This agreement is a significant step in facilitating £10m of direct investment into community-led heritage in Brymbo, the majority of which is awarded by the UK’s two largest National Lottery distributors, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and The National Lottery Community Fund, alongside a comprehensive co-funding package from various government agencies, local government, and national charitable trusts.

Ian Bancroft, Chief Executive of Wrexham Council said, “It is great to see the coming together of partners to make this project a reality. As a Council we have worked hard to ensure the foundations have been laid for a successful and sustainable future and local councillors and the Brymbo
Community Council have been key to achieving this”.

Nick Amyes, Chair of BHT’s Board of Trustees added “We are delighted to reach the point of formally exchanging contracts with the landowners. This reflects their confidence in us and the vision we are driving for the celebration of our area’s proud heritage. We look forward to taking steps now to work-up the restoration and building designs to the next stage, ready for us to start the project once the phosphates issue is resolved. We would also like to thank the National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery Community Fund for advancing a portion of the funds they have already committed to allow us to proceed to this next stage”.

The heritage project forms part of Brymbo Park, a wider regeneration of the former British Steelworks site at Brymbo. In addition to the proposed 450 new homes, which are vital to meeting Wrexham Council’s housing targets, Brymbo Park will also deliver a new local 425 place primary school, a new food store with ancillary retail, medical centre, village pub/restaurant, children’s play areas, public footpaths, landscaping, and public open space.

Dawn Bowden, Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, said; “I congratulate everyone involved in the Brymbo Heritage Project for reaching this important milestone. I am delighted that the parties involved have been able to establish an agreement that will enable this important heritage project to progress. This will breathe new life into the industrial heritage of Brymbo and bring considerable benefits for the local community. I know that everyone has worked tirelessly to reach this agreement”.

James Cannon, Head of Property for BDL said: “This is a major step forward for the wider development and towards delivering transformational change at Brymbo. However, other key elements such as the new primary school, GP surgery and shops are currently hamstrung by a lack of progress on nutrient mitigation, in particular the treatment of phosphates.

“Although we appreciate Five Fords Wastewater Treatment Works is working at significantly below capacity, it is now having an adverse effect on the delivery of vital new homes and services within the borough and is inadvertently acting as a moratorium on other developments in the County Borough.

“We all look forward to continuing to work with other key stakeholders including the Welsh Government and Wrexham Council to deliver the final pieces of this vital development.”

Stantec (formerly Barton Willmore) is advising BDL on the planning, while Knight Frank has been appointed as agents on the entire scheme. Grice Collins Long are acting as leasing agents on the supermarket, retail, and pub.