Llanelli Star

Council agrees to give £2 million

- Richard Youle @YoulePost richard.youle@mediawales.co.uk 01792 545553

CARMARTHEN­SHIRE Council is to buy a zinc oxide factory site in Burry Port which has been earmarked for homes and commercial developmen­t for a decade.

Executive board members were told that the privately-owned land in question was unlikely to be brought forward for developmen­t in the near future without council interventi­on.

Minutes of the discussion, which was held in private for commercial reasons, said that redevelopi­ng the former Grillo site would support the council’s Burry Port regenerati­on proposals and the delivery of a masterplan for the town.

The executive board agreed to provide £2 million for the acquisitio­n of the seven-acre site, which adjoins council-owned land.

Councillor John James, who represents Burry Port, said he welcomed the decision.

“It’s good to see things are moving,” he said.

“It’s the gateway to the harbour, and it’s an eyesore.”

The move follows a decision last December to grant a long-term lease for the developmen­t of the town’s harbour into a topclass facility for boat owners and tourists.

Proposals to develop the Grillo site were put forward around 10 years ago, and then adopted as supplement­ary planning guidance.

People in the town were consulted at an early stage, which resulted in the proposed number of houses and flats — and their height — being reduced.

But a planning applicatio­n was called in by Welsh ministers in 2011 and permission refused, due to flooding concerns.

The flood classifica­tion for the site was changed later and, fast-forward to early 2016, the county council granted outline consent for up to 230 houses and flats and a small amount of retail and leisure at the former Grillo site.

An attractive waterfront area was also part of the concept.

A design statement submitted as part of the outline applicatio­n by Castletown Estates said the Grillo site was one of four parcels of land designated as the Eastern Harboursid­e.

Burry Port harbour had been establishe­d by an act of Parliament in 1825, and the town was home to

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 ?? Picture: Adrian White ?? An archive picture of the site showing its proximity to the harbour.
Picture: Adrian White An archive picture of the site showing its proximity to the harbour.
 ??  ?? Burry Port councillor­s John James and Pat Jones outside
Burry Port councillor­s John James and Pat Jones outside

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