Wrexham Gateway ‘Levelling Up’ bid rejected again – time for ‘Plan B’ on Kop says club

A £18.5m UK Government ‘levelling up’ bid for the high profile ‘Wrexham Gateway’ project has failed to get the green light – again.

The Gateway project is intended to see the regeneration of the Mold Road corridor “creating better connected bus and rail transport, a route into the city centre that gives a great first impression to visitors and an improved events football ground and regional and national venue at the Racecourse stadium” – and would include funding that would help build the new Kop stand.

£25 million has already been committed by the Welsh Government for the wider project, with hopes Wrexham would have been a winning constituency in the latest tranche of grant funding allocations announced. ‌ ​‌‌‌‌​​

There had been confidence around the deliverability element of the Kop project being seen as a cornerstone of the bid, with Wrexham Council priming the development via two tranches of funding – enabling demolition work that is visible now,.

On the news of the rejection announcement, Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton who championed the bid said, “Wrexham Council submitted two bids for the Levelling Up Fund. The first, £13.3 million for the Trevor Basin, Llangollen and Corwen Bid and the second for the Wrexham Gateway Bid. Given that Wrexham Council chose to submit two bids, it is not unreasonable that only one was successful. It is important to note that in the past few years, with the help of the UK Government, Wrexham has been awarded Platinum City status, was runner-up in the 2025 City of Culture and has been awarded £22.4 million from the Shared Prosperity Fund.”

“Of course, whilst it is disappointing that the Wrexham Gateway bid hasn’t been successful this time, I will continue to work with Wrexham Council, Glyndwr University, and Wrexham AFC to prepare for resubmission in Round three. In the meantime, we will work together to promote and raise Wrexham.”

Cllr Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, reacted to the news, “Whilst we are all extremely disappointed we will continue to work hard with our partners, Wrexham AFC, Welsh Government, Wrexham Glyndwr University, The FAW and Transport for Wales. We will not give up on these ambitious plans and we will continue to pursue other avenues of funding in order to complete the Wrexham Gateway Project.”

A council spokesperson added, “Wrexham Council, in agreement with everyone involved with the projects and with the sign off of each MP, submitted two bids in 2021 under round one of the Levelling Up Fund. The bids were for the Pontycysyllte Aqueduct which was successful and the Wrexham Gateway Project which was unsuccessful. In 2022 we submitted one bid only for round 2, again with the agreement of everyone involved and the sign off of the MP. This bid has now been unsuccessful. In 2021 our successful bid was made jointly with Denbighshire County Council and we note their successful second bid in round two.”

Steve Williams, President of the Football Association of Wales said: “Whilst this is very disappointing news for Wrexham AFC and their plans to develop the Racecourse Ground with an ambition of seeing international football return, I know that this will make everyone even more determined to find the funding that is needed to make this project a success.”

A spokesperson from Wrexham AFC said, “The Club was disappointed to learn that the Council’s application for financial support for the Kop Development has been rejected.

“Discussions have already commenced with the Gateway Partnership as to how the Kop Development can be delivered in the absence of the funding from UK Government with all parties remaining committed to the scheme.”

Shaun Harvey, Strategic Advisor to the Board at Wrexham AFC added: “This is the time for Plan B to be implemented and while there will be some uncertainty in the short term, the longer-term outlook remains positive.”

A total of 11 projects in Wales have been allocated more than £208 million from round two of the Levelling Up Fund. UK Government say the projects “…will create jobs, drive economic growth, help restore people’s pride in the places where they live and spread opportunity more equally”.

They added, “This will drive forward the Prime Minister’s priority to grow the economy by levelling up and provide the foundations for building a better future in communities across the UK. By working together the UK is better able to collectively tackle the individual challenges faced by every region and nation across the country.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “Through greater investment in local areas, we can grow the economy, create good jobs and spread opportunity everywhere.

“That’s why we are backing a number of projects with new transformational funding to level up local communities in Wales.

“By reaching even more parts of the country than before, we will build a future of optimism and pride in people’s lives and the places they call home.”

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:    “We are firing the starting gun on more than a hundred transformational projects in every corner of the UK that will revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential.

“This new funding will create jobs, drive economic growth, and help to restore local pride. We are delivering on the people’s priorities, levelling up across the UK to ensure that no matter where you are from, you can go as far as your talents will take you.”

Secretary of State for Wales David TC Davies said: “This is a hugely significant investment in truly significant projects across Wales. I’m delighted to see so many successful bids from around the country for schemes which will have an impact for generations to come.

“This funding will regenerate town centres and historic buildings, create new cycle and walking paths through some of our most beautiful countryside, improve facilities for visitors, deliver transport solutions for Cardiff and contribute to the health and future job opportunities for people in the areas involved.

“I am very much looking forward to following the progress of these projects as they help us achieve our ambitions of levelling up the UK and growing the Welsh economy.”

Projects in Wales awarded Levelling Up Fund grants are:

• £50 million for Crossrail Cardiff. This will help deliver a new line between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Central Station, improving travel for thousands of people who travel daily between the stations.
• A safe and direct cycle route will be created between Llandudno Junction and Betws y Coed via the Conwy Valley with an £18.6 million grant. The scheme will also include measures to mitigate against flooding.
• £17.8 million will restore the historic estate in the Vale of Neath and build new walkways and cycle paths.
• There is £17 million for building new walkways and cycle paths to bring people closer together in Holyhead and enable visitors and local people to explore the stunning sites of St Cybi’s Church and the Roman Fort.
• £18 million to transform the Grand Pavilion in Porthcawl, one of the most recognisable buildings in South Wales, which has deteriorated after years of piecemeal refurbishments.
• In Blaenau Gwent, a new engineering campus for 600 young people will be built using £9 million funding. It will offer the next generation of engineers an extensive programme of apprenticeships and industry placements in the area.
• £20 million will restore and regenerate three industry heritage sites in the Lower Swansea Valley. This includes the Morfa Copperworks and will create new shops, restaurants and market places, and a major upgrade to Swansea Museum.
• The £7.6 million Pontypool Cultural Hub project in Torfaen will transform derelict buildings into a thriving cultural centre with a new restaurant to boost the night-time economy.
• Building a state of the art leisure centre in Caerphilly with £20 million, including a new gym and swimming pool.
• In Gwynedd, £18.8 million will upgrade walking and cycling routes for the National Slate Museum and the Neuadd Ogwen arts centre.
• Denbighshire will receive £11 million to restore the historic monuments in Ruthin, including St Peter’s Church and the town square.

The major investment announced follows the allocation of £1.7 billion to 105 projects from round one of the Levelling Up Fund in 2021– taking the total allocated so far from the fund to £3.8 billion.

UK Government has also confirmed there will be a further third round of the Levelling Up Fund, providing more opportunity to level up places across the UK.