340 jobs earmarked for Kinmel Bay

Oct 27 2011 by Martin Williams, North Wales Weekly News

A BUSINESS park which lay dormant for more than a decade will finally open, bringing 340 jobs to a coastal town.

The £6million Tir Llwyd Enterprise Park in Kinmel Bay is to be unveiled on Monday.

The Conwy Council-owned site was empty for years because of flooding concerns.

Pure Commercial Ltd will be the first tenant after being granted planning permission. Bosses snapped up eight units and said 30-40 jobs will be created in the coming weeks.

Allan Sharp, Conwy’s principal property development officer, says progress can now be made on attracting other companies after Flood Consequence Assessments were carried out and rubber stamped.

The plot was earmarked by the council for 340 jobs and Mr Sharp said it will give Conwy county a major economic boost.

“The story is a long one. We got £6m in European grants for this site in 2000 and that was spent on infrastructure and access,” he said.

“The site was effectively ready for occupation more than 10 years ago but there have been delays because of the flooding issues.

“There was a start on a different part of the site but those buildings pre-date these issues. The enterprise park is the European funded area and we’re delighted it’s finally ready to open.

“Tir Llwyd was developed entirely to support local SMEs, it’s not designed for multinationals. It was, and is, all about creating local jobs.”

Mr Sharp revealed that despite long delays there was still plenty of interest from would-be tenants.

“This is a prime development site, it’s purpose built in a strategic position and a lot of businesses have been watching with interest for some time,” he said.

Mr Sharp added: “From this point on we have to monitor the site, get people on there and create the 340 jobs earmarked for the park.

“The arrival of Pure will create up to 40 jobs straight away.

“We’ll look to reinvest money and regenerate. We want to make sure this estate is an exemplar.

“Initially, we will reinvest to make sure it’s top quality but then we will put together a business case towards further regeneration of the area.”

Mr Sharp was also confident the development would have a knock-on effect for neighbouring businesses.

“There are firms already in Kinmel Bay – cafes, local building suppliers etc – who will benefit,” he said.

“We don’t expect to fill all of this park tomorrow, but there is demand.”