Green light expected for £20m college plan
PLANS for a £20m expansion of a college campus are expected to be given the green light by council planners.
Coleg Menai bosses are seeking full planning permission for a new engineering centre, car park and children’s play area near the college’s existing base in Llangefni on Anglesey.
The bid also seeks outline permission for 153 new homes, a hotel and restaurant, which would be used to train catering staff for businesses across the island.
The engineering centre is set to train some of the 8,500 construction workers and the 1,000 permanent staff are expected to be needed at the proposed Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant.
According to the planning application, the construction phase alone would create around 80 full time jobs with the new engineering centre, hotel, restaurant and cafe creating another 34 full time permanent roles.
The 153 homes, meanwhile, would be spread across four sites with approximately half of them being designated as affordable housing.
Planning officers are recommending that members of Anglesey Council’s planning committee, who meet today, approve the plans as long as certain conditions are met.
These include the developers contributing around £400,000 to the education department’s coffers due to the extra strain on nearby schools, and a section 106 agreement being signed which would tie down half the homes as designated “affordable”.
Llangefni Town Council are broadly in favour iof the proposals, but have seeking talks with the developers to ensure community benefits for the town, and also say they will monitor the developments.
However, eight letters of objection have been sent to the authority, highlighting concerns over a range of issues including drainage concerns, light pollution, the impact on existing businesses, and the erosion of the Welsh language.
Last year, locals also raised concerns over the impact of such a development on local wildlife.
But in their recommendation to councillors, Anglesey Council planing officers, noted: “The proposed hotel use will improve the quality, quantity and choice of the existing accommodation stock, supporting the growth of the tourism sector in a key Urban Service Centre.
“There is limited provision of serviced accommodation in Llangefni and it is not considered it would have an adverse effect on existing businesses.
“The new training opportunities offered by the proposed engineering centre will broaden the education and training opportunities available on Anglesey, helping to retain local people (including Welsh speakers) by providing them with the right skills, qualifications and knowledge to apply for employment opportunities associated with the energy sector on Anglesey.”
A decision will be made during today’s (Wednesday) planning committee meeting.