We have secured planning permission for a 150,000 sq ft Grade A industrial and logistics development at Wrexham Industrial Estate, bringing our total investment in Wrexham to over £160m.
Wrexham Council granted permission for the development of the 7.5-acre ‘Site 5’ on Monday 4th September, becoming one of the first stalled applications to be heard at committee following the resolution of the city’s two-year phosphate challenges.
The new site adds to our rapidly expanding portfolio at Wrexham Industrial Estate, where we are the largest landowner with a portfolio totalling 2.8m sq ft of high-quality industrial space.
Plans were also recently validated for the 62.8-acre Kingmoor regeneration site where we hope to build a £80m (Construction value), one million sq ft development of warehouse and office space for logistics and distribution, supporting 1,200 jobs.
Building work at Site 5 is expected to start later this year and will be delivered by our dedicated construction division, FI Construction, which will be responsible for our new build pipeline across the UK, totalling 7m sq ft over the next four years.
Site 5, which is anticipated to support 250 jobs, brings our total investment at Wrexham Industrial Estate to over £160m. In January this year, we acquired a further 56 acres of land and following the completion of our first tranche of developments, new leases were secured with logistics specialists, Gorton Brothers, and multinational furniture company, Howdens Joinery.
Tim Knowles, founder and Managing Director of FI Real Estate Management commented: “Wrexham Council’s work with Natural Resources Wales to overcome its phosphate challenges has meant that stalled development can be brought forward to unlock the city’s potential and stimulate economic growth. Our team has put a great deal of work into our plans, not just for Site 5 but for our wider investment at Wrexham Industrial Estate, and we’re very pleased to be able to move forward with our ambitious plans to create exceptional space that will elevate Wrexham’s economic and employment potential.”
Member of Parliament for Wrexham, Sarah Atherton MP, said: “Having grappled with the phosphates issue for more than two years, I am pleased that FIREM, having chosen to invest significantly in Wrexham, have become one of the first ‘stalled’ applications to be granted planning permission. This development, which is anticipated to support 250 jobs, will bring greater prosperity to our city. As the local MP, my responsibility is to ensure that growth for Wrexham is not stifled but achieved sympathetically with the environment, whilst mitigating the impact on local communities. This is all positive news for Wrexham.”
