Council leader to be quizzed about Delta Lakes scheme
THE leader of Carmarthenshire Council is being quizzed today about the £200 million Wellness and Life Science Village planned for Llanelli.
Councillor Emlyn Dole will answer a series of questions at a meeting of full council about the Delta Lakes scheme, which is one of 11 Swansea Bay City Region projects aimed at boosting the region’s economy.
The Delta Lakes development will include life science research facilities, a leisure centre, nursing home, assisted living facilities, a “wellness” hotel, healthy food area, and walking and cycling areas, and is expected to create 2,000 jobs over 15 years.
The overall aim is to forge closer links between leisure services and healthcare specialists.
Backed by two health boards, the council and Swansea University, the project involves a private sector partner — Sterling Health — and is due to receive £40 million via the city deal for the region once the final business case has been signed off.
Carmarthenshire’s Labour leader, councillor Rob James has tabled questions to his Plaid Cymru peer, asking about the process which led to Sterling Health being chosen, how each partner will contribute to the £200 million cost, who Sterling Health’s directors are and what experience they bring, and how much the new operations director of Delta Wellbeing Ltd will receive. The company was incorporated in January this year and has two directors.
Mr James has also asked how much the council has paid in city deal consultants’ fees.
In August this year the council said “numerous” private sector partners had expressed interest in the Delta Lakes project, but that only one bid met the criteria.
This led to an “exclusivity” deal with a company called Kent Neurosciences as the project’s development partner. Kent Neurosciences was dissolved in May this year.
The authority said the ensuing collaboration agreement between the council, Swansea University and Sterling Health was “within a consortium of partners” including Siemens, Fujitsu and Pfizer.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Mr James said: “It is absolutely incredible that work has already begun on this project when there are serious questions that are yet to be answered by this council.
“We would like to know why Carmarthenshire Council did not renew their exclusivity agreement with Kent Neurosciences Limited to develop the project in 2017 and instead sign an agreement with Sterling Health.
“We need more information on how companies such as Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will be operating within our health service and whether the project is financially deliverable; as we have seen no evidence to suggest that the private sector will be contributing the £125 million.
“This project is said to be the largest in the Swansea Bay City Deal, with £70 million of taxpayers’ money at risk should it all go wrong; and we are determined to get the answers the public are calling for.”
“As part of the procurement process we received a series of testimonials about each of the individual partners involved in the process,” said the council.
“Many individuals within Sterling Health have significant expertise in the design, development and operation of related projects across the health and construction sectors.”
And Mr Dole added: “The collaboration agreement, which follows a rigorous procurement process, is a major step forward for a development that will place Llanelli at the heart of global life science and well-being innovation.”
Last week, details of the new leisure centre within the Delta Lakes site emerged.
Staff at the town’s current leisure centre will be relocated to the new facility at Delta Lakes as soon as it is open, with consideration given to the future of the existing Park Crescent building.
An outline planning application for the Wellness and Life Science Village will be determined in the coming months, with construction on site due to start in 2019 and finish completely four years later.