Home » Gwynedd Council approves plans for Bangor’s ‘ghost’ Bryn Cegin industrial estate
Gwynedd North Wales Politics

Gwynedd Council approves plans for Bangor’s ‘ghost’ Bryn Cegin industrial estate

Cyngor Gwynedd

AN ILL-FATED multi-million pound ‘ghost’ industrial park in Bangor is finally starting to attract business.

Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee has agreed plans for a builders’ merchant, buildings and units development at Parc Bryn Cegin.
When first mooted in 2000 it was hoped the 35 acre Llandygai site would attract industry and jobs

Despite millions raised in investment but with the banking crisis of 2005 and recession, the site failed to attract any businesses and laid empty for more than 20 years.

The site has also been the subject of extensive archaeological excavations for its Iron Age and Roman “historical importance.”

Identified by experts, a planning report noted it had provided “a snapshot of life”  in the final prehistoric years in Wales (Iron Age), and the relationship with the Roman occupation.

In December, builders merchants Huws Gray, with its headquarters in Llangefni,  got the green light by Cyngor Gwynedd planners to move its operations to Plot C at the park.

online casinos UK

It was then hoped it would act as a catalyst to bring in more business.

Now, a new application to develop plot C6, by Andy Hayton  of Venture Business Parks Limited, through agent Guy Dawson, of Dixon Dawson Chartered Architects has been agreed  with conditions.

The plans, submitted in January, were approved by Cyngor Gwynedd’s planning committee in line with officers’ recommendations, on Monday, April 17.

The proposals called for the “Erection of building for Use Classes B1/B2,/B8 (with Trade Counter in any B8 units), a building for use as a builders’ merchant (storage, distribution, trade counter, offices and ancillary retail) with associated external storage, display area, access, parking, lighting, fencing, hard and soft landscaping.”

‘Building One’ would be split into six units, with the intention of obtaining flexible consent to allow for uses within Use Classes B1 (Business), B2 (General Industrial) or B8 (Storage or Distribution Services) within the units.

‘Building two’ would be for use by a builders’ merchant business (Unique Use).

Building one would have a floor area of 1570 m2 and extend 8.1m to the roof ridge.  Building two  would have a footprint of 1394m2, with a 610m2 suspended floor for additional storage space. It would measure 55m x 26.5m and extend 6.7m to the roof ridge.

The buildings walls would be covered with grey composite material panels,  black panels on gable ends, and the roof in grey composite panels.

Parking spaces for 30 cars  were provided, including two disabled spaces and two electric charging facilities, bicycle parking spaces, goods loading, storage and landscaping area..

“If you consider the extensive period when the business estate was empty it is believed completely reasonable to show some flexibility in order to meet the requirements of modern business.” It added.

Considering the status of Parc Bryn Cegin as “a regional strategic business location” and for the development to “support economic growth in Bangor”  the proposal was “fully consistent with the strategic function of the site.”

Among issues  archaeologists noted that a strip of land on the outskirts of the site had “potential for important archaeological material.”

Gwynedd Archaeological Planning Service (GAPS) suggested a planning condition was needed to “ensure that appropriate investigation work takes place before this land is affected by development.”

A Cyngor Gwynedd spokesperson said: “At Monday’s meeting of the Council’s Planning Committee, members accepted the recommendation to allow the erecting of two buildings at Plot C6, Parc Bryn Cegin, Llandygai with an associated external storage area, display area, access, parking, lighting, fences, hard and soft landscaping.

“One of the buildings will be for business use, for general industrial use and for storage or distribution services and the second building will be as a builders merchant (storage, distribution, trade counter, offices and ancillary retail).”

Author