Detailed plans submitted for £200m city deal project in Llanelli

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Detailed plans of a £200 million wellness and life science village on the outskirts Llanelli have been published.

The Pentre Awel scheme at Delta Lakes will comprise a new leisure centre, hydrotherapy pool, academic, research and business space, health and rehabilitation facilities, assisted living accommodation, open market and social housing, a nursing home and hotel.

The Carmarthenshire Council-led development is one of nine city deal projects for the Swansea Bay City Region, and already has outline planning approval.

The detailed planning application covers matters such as access, parking, landscaping, and flood assessment.

A design and access statement submitted on behalf of the council said: “The mixture of uses will create a vibrant and diverse place which draws in a wide variety of people and integrates the young, old and the most vulnerable members of the local community.”

The scheme will also include new woodland, sensory and courtyard gardens, with the buildings linked by a central street layout.

Leisure centre

The council has appointed a contractor called Bouyges UK to deliver the first phase of Pentre Awel. This first phase will feature the leisure centre, and education, business, research and health facilities. The leisure centre comprises an eight-lane, 25m swimming pool, sports hall, gym and fitness studios, play area and hydrotherapy pool.

Partners in Pentre Awel include Hywel Dda University Health Board,  Cardiff University, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea University, Coleg Sir Gar, Pembrokeshire College, Gower College, and Swansea Bay University Health Board.

The money for the £200 million project will come from the local public sector (£52 million), the UK and Welsh Governments (£40 million), and the private sector (£108 million). Pentre Awel is expected to generate just over 1,850 jobs and boost the local economy by more than £460 million over 15 years.

The site covers 83 acres of brownfield land which was once home to a range of industries, including a tinplate works.

A meeting of Carmarthenshire Council’s cabinet at the end of February heard that good progress was being made  with tenants interested in occupying space at Pentre Awel. They were also told that Bouyges UK had given the council a maximum cost of £87.07 million for the first phase of the project.