Projects submitted for Growth Deal

THE North Wales Growth Deal that will create thousands of jobs and boost the economy for generations is one step closer.

North Wales Economic Ambition Board has now given its support to move forward with the five programmes and 14 projects that make up the £1bn Deal – several of them in the Mail area.

It is backed by £240million investment from both the Welsh and UK Governments.

These programmes cover low carbon energy, innovation in high-value manufacturing, agrifood and tourism, digital connectivity and land and property.

Among the 14 projects are (Project sponsor):

Centre for Environmental Biotechnology (Bangor University): The Centre will be a world-leading centre in the discovery and characterisation of novel extremophilic enzymes of industrial relevance.

● Tourism Talent Network (Grwp Llandrillo Menai): The North Wales Tourism Talent Network aims to stimulate public-private collaboration on skills and product development to accelerate the growth of the tourism and hospitality sector in the region.

Glynllifon Rural Economy Hub (Grŵp Llandrillo Menai): Create a distinctive, world-class hub, offering a range of facilities and services to strengthen the regional economy, specifically food and drink sector.

Holyhead Gateway (Stena Line): Future-proof Holyhead Port by providing new deepwater heavy loading and cruise facilities, improved vehicular access and guaranteeing the future of the breakwater.

Regional Land and Property (Ambition Board): Five key schemes including:

Parc Bryn Cegin Strategic Site, Bangor: Provide industrial floor space to meet known demand for units.

Digital Connectivity Project

(Ambition Board): Four elements:

1: Full fibre connectivity (gigabit capable) to 28 key business sites across NWEAB.

2: Accelerate the development of Connected Campuses at 19 key regional economic sites. It is estimated some 2,600 business premises will have access to high bandwidth 5G and low-power wi-fi services once complete.

3: Road (like A55) and rail corridor connected to 5G/Low Power Wireless Access Networks.

4: Connecting the last few: This project targets universal superfast coverage across North Wales. Up to 10,100 residential and 4,300 business premises could benefit.

Digital Signal Processing Centre Project (Bangor University): The project will bring together Bangor University researchers to work alongside high-profile international companies and Welsh SMEs to explore disruptive solutions for 5G.

Morlais (Menter Môn): Constructing the infrastructure that connects the Morlais Zone with the electricity grid system, readying the site for private sector developers investing to lease parts of the zone for deploying tidal energy technologies.

This would position the zone as the first consented, expandable and technology-agnostic site in the world with up to 180 MW of potential (for latest Morlais developments see story page 4).

● Low Carbon Energy Centre of Excellence (Bangor University): Developing infrastructure at Bangor University and Menai Science Park, enhancing the North Wales and UK capabilities for innovation in low carbon energy.

● Smart Local Energy (Ambition Board): Project will support innovative enabling projects and demonstrators that overcome market failures and unlock private and community sector investments in smart local energy solutions.

Transport Decarbonisation (Ambition Board): Support delivery of a demonstrator project involving the production of green hydrogen from low carbon energy sources and its use within regional transport networks.

The Deal has now been submitted to both the UK and Welsh Governments for consideration, with a final decision expected before the end of the year.

Work on the projects will begin in 2021.