Delta Lakes project on council agenda

PLANS for the £200 million Life Sciences and Wellbeing Village in Llanelli will be discussed by Carmarthenshire Council tomorrow.

The planning application for the ambitious project at Delta Lakes will be chewed over by the authority’s planning committee.

Llanelli town councillor Sean Rees, who represents the Glanymor Ward which covers Delta Lakes, argues now is the perfect opportunity for the town to work together towards the scheme coming to fruition.

He claims there needs to be better communication with the public from the council the scheme.

Mr Rees said: “If done right, this project has potential to transform the economic fortunes of our town.

“At the heart of the project is a commitment for an institute of life science, facilities for business start-ups and research, a wellbeing centre and a new leisure centre. All of which is estimated to create up to 2,000 jobs bringing £467 million to the local economy.

“Our area cannot afford to lose out on such investment. The authority must be more open and transparent.

“In the past few months alone, we have had a number of suspensions at Swansea University; the ending of a collaboration agreement with Sterling Health; the fact there is very little in the way of private sector finance in place and even a rapid independent review launched by both UK and Welsh Governments, which could delay the project further.

“The powers that be need to move quickly to provide reassurance and clarity to residents that procedures have been properly followed and that public funds have been protected.

“It is, however, also wholly irresponsible for some to seek to exploit this situation for political gain. This will only lead to further uncertainty within our community.

“It is very clear to me that what is needed here is a more participatory approach that puts community engagement at the forefront of the project. This will only work if everyone in the community actually feels a part of it. The project needs to be redesigned in a way which gives greater focus to more public ownership involvement.”