MORE than 100 jobs are set to be created in Denbighshire thanks to a new partnership.
An ambitious public-private collaboration between Denbighshire County Council and four Denbigh businesses is set to create over 100 new jobs and provide the county with a new recycling centre and waste transfer station.
It’s part of a £20 million redevelopment which will extend Denbigh's Colomendy Industrial Estate by 20 acres allowing the local companies, Lock Stock Self Storage, Henllan Bakery, Yard Space (Wales) Limited and agricultural machinery specialist Emyr Evans, to expand and diversify.
It will also provide Denbighshire with a centralised and modern recycling centre, due to begin operating in autumn 2023, and helping the council meet the Welsh Government’s 70 per cent recycling target by 2025.
It has been hailed as a perfect example of partnership working by Denbighshire councillor Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport.
He said: “We are very grateful for the partnership work between all involved to deliver this important project, not just for the council but for the four Colomendy-based businesses.
“It has been fantastic to see the collaboration to purchase the land and construct the enabling works.
“We are keen to promote and support our local economy and it’s great to see that this opportunity will help these Denbigh businesses stay in the town and move forward with expanding their services.
“I look forward to seeing how this work provides strong future growth and job opportunities on the estate for the local community.”
Lock Stock director Shon Powell said a number of businesses on Colomendy had been looking to expand for some time but there had been a lack of suitable available land.
READ MORE: Denbigh-based self-storage firm sees North Wales site double after revamp
He said: “We were originally approached by Henllan Bakery to work together on seeking extra space on the Colomendy Estate and with Yard Space Ltd and Emyr Evans joining us it has made the scheme more viable with the support of Denbighshire.
“It has meant we are able to have 280 containers on a single purpose-built site rather than having different sites spread around the Colomendy Estate and it’s been a great example of private companies working together with the local council.
“It’s going to provide jobs and opportunities for businesses to set up and ensure that companies don’t have to move away to expand.”
Henllan Bakery has already built a two-storey extension to its existing main bakery on the extra two acres it has gained, providing extra production and storage capacity as well as increased office, canteen, changing facilities and parking space.
It’s helped them take on 15 more staff and production director Tom Moore said: “We started looking for property to expand into several years ago because we had become landlocked as a business.
READ MORE: Pub extension amongst latest planning applications to Denbighshire Council
“We were at the stage where we would have had to consider relocating but this is perfect for us, we have literally taken out a hedge and extended.
“It meant we could stay in the town where most of our staff are from and I think that’s been huge for all four businesses – it’s been a brilliant collaboration with Denbighshire.”
Yard Space (Wales) Limited have taken five and a half acres of the land and plan to build industrial starter units for rent there.
Emyr Evans, one of Wales’s biggest tractor and farm machinery dealers, has also taken almost five acres on the site and is already making use of the extra space.
The works to prepare the site for the development were also carried out by a local firm, civil engineering experts Jones Bros of Ruthin, who installed the access roads and services for the new recycling centre and the businesses.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here