The Wrexham Gateway scheme is powering ahead as the \u201cfinal pieces of the jigsaw\u201d are put in place to unlock major private investment, business leaders will be told.<\/p>\n
The Mold Road development has now surged past the \u00a3100 million mark, making it the biggest regeneration scheme the city has ever seen, according to Wrexham County Borough Council project manager Alistair Aldridge.<\/p>\n
The huge plan includes a new transport hub and public plaza at Wrexham General Railway Station, a flagship office building, a Wrexham Lager brewery, tap room and museum, and the new Kop stand at Wrexham AFC\u2019s Racecourse ground.<\/p>\n
Mr Aldridge will provide an update on progress at the next meeting of the Wrexham Business Professionals group at the Maesgwyn Hall on Friday, March 6.<\/p>\n
The group is made up of successful businesses and skilled professionals working together to promote regional prosperity and shine a light on the enterprise and expertise that exists in the region.<\/p>\n
Clwyd South MS Ken Skates, the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, who has been a key supporter of the project, will also speak at the meeting.<\/p>\n
According to Mr Aldridge, the global interest in Wrexham, sparked by the ownership of the city\u2019s football club by Hollywood pair Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney and their hit documentary Welcome to Wrexham, was helping to drive the transformation scheme forward.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe next few months are crucial They are all about de-risking the project to encourage the private sector to invest in the delivery.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s getting the land assembly concluded, it\u2019s getting the outline planning consents in place, it\u2019s getting agreements with the prospective tenants of the office building, it\u2019s getting the grant funding in place – it\u2019s all the final pieces of the jigsaw before bringing in the private sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately we don\u2019t have the money to deliver it ourselves, we need the private sector to step up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to make it an exemplar project; we want it to be a flagship to demonstrate to people coming to Wrexham what best represents the city.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThe football club has never gone public on how expensive their stand is, but as a wider project we are now in excess of \u00a3100 million of investment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a combination of grant funding and private sector and includes initial grant funding of \u00a325 million given to us by Welsh Government and that was for multi-modal transport at the station.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat opportunity is what really gave birth to the Gateway because the council felt that we could go a little bit wider than that and invest in the whole area, not just the station.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have got more money from the Growth Deal, administered by Ambition North Wales, and we\u2019ve got the Investment Zone where we are seeking to get some money.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople need to realise this is not about diverting money which could be spent on filling potholes – this is about money which if we didn\u2019t get would probably be spent down in South Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example there are four international standard football grounds in South Wales and not one in North Wales – why should we not have a piece of that excitement and action?<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the networking events we have going on in Wrexham, you can feel the palpable excitement and buzz about the potential for Wrexham and all these different bits and pieces are going to complement existing businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have got people who are very hungry for space in the office building, for example. The tourism numbers are through the roof.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe support we have had from Welsh Government throughout has been fabulous; they have been instrumental in bringing this forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe partnerships we have had in place with Transport for Wales, Wrexham University, the football club, all sorts of different people, has been brilliant and that is what has enabled the project.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone wants to see Wrexham come forward, everyone feels it is our time now and we want to embrace that and make it happen and support other stakeholders in their journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ken Skates MS said there was \u201ca huge amount of energy, commitment and determination\u201d to bring the ambitious plans to fruition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to see pretty significant movement on the project this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a huge, huge task pulling together lots of different partners and acquiring different parcels of land, designing an integrated transport hub and at the same time ensuring key components around it can be built as soon as possible, including of course the Kop end of the football ground.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the first partnership of its kind that I can recall bringing so many partners together for the same purpose.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a huge amount of energy, commitment and determination to deliver from all partners.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a really, really exciting project and will completely transform the entrance to Wrexham and I think builds on the recent success that Wrexham has had globally in terms of attention and recognition of place, and also pride in the place as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ian Edwards from Wrexham Business Professionals said: \u201cThe Wrexham Gateway project is a crucial regeneration scheme which will transform a key entrance to the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like our football club, the city as a whole is on the rise, and schemes like this support its future growth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Louise Harper from Wrexham Business Professionals said: \u201cEveryone who travels in and out of Wrexham on Mold Road will have seen the work on building the new Kop stand at the football stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat work is a key element of the Gateway scheme and it will be hugely interesting to hear about the progress being made and how the Wrexham business community can benefit from it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The free-to-attend event will take place on Friday, March 6, at the Maesgwyn Hall, in Wrexham, It begins at 8.30am with refreshments on arrival and will conclude at 10.15am. People wishing to attend should confirm by email to <\/strong>wbp@allingtonhughes.co.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n