Machinery on the move again at Dolgarrog Aluminum site

Oct 16 2008 by Samantha Castle, North Wales Weekly News

THE eerie silence surrounding Dolgarrog’s empty Aluminum factory was broken by the sound of moving machinery again this week.

But instead of the mill being used to cast and roll aluminium, it was being broken up and moved out of the factory as the disused site is being cleared to make way for the bulldozers.

The factory is being demolished, and new owner Ainscough-Johnston of Wigan, has multi-million pound plans for the site involving housing, including affordable housing, and leisure and amenity uses.

This week the mill echoed to the sound of machinery being broken up and moved out as workmen slowly and carefully moved tonnes of heavy equipment into the yard making it look like an ancient dinosaur graveyard.

Dolgarrog community Cllr Rita Jones said it was an end of an era. “It is a sad sight to see, an end of an era, but the development of the site is crucial to the local area,” she said.

“It is just a shame the community council has not been invited to join the local action group to be involved in the future development of the village.”

County councillor Emlyn Thomas, who is heavily involved in the action group, says he is optimistic about the future.

“It is quite a sad sight to see the machinery being moved, but this is just the first step to a brighter future. You have to knock things down to progress with future developments,” he said.

“It will be a sad sight for the people of Dolgarrog who used to work at the factory, but we have to move on and this is progress.”