A new project team has been appointed to drive forward plans for a Wellness and Life Science Village in Llanelli.
The project, which is estimated to cost in excess of £100million, is being delivered through the Swansea Bay City Region partnership. Work has begun to detail what will be included at the site, but elements which may be included are a wellness/leisure centre, hydrotherapy pool, Institute of Life Science@ Hywel Dda, expansion of the Joint Clinical Research Facility to recruit for clinical trials, a Health & Wellbeing Centre, hotel and conferencing and high spec business facilities.
The new team tasked with delivering the vision is being headed by project manager Sharon Burford, supported by Steffan Jenkins and Bjorn Rodde.
Sharon, originally from Aberdare, lives with her husband in Mynydd Y Garreg and works for Hywel Dda University Health Board. Her career began with the Welsh Development Agency focused on economic regeneration and inward investment. Recently she was management lead for the development of the new model of care in Prince Philip Hospital.
Sharon said: “I feel the Wellness Partnership has the real potential to bring together partners to create the right environment for health innovation to flourish alongside private and public sector partners, and also to challenge our view of healthcare by focussing on wellness not on illness. I fundamentally believe the wellness partnership has the potential to make a real difference not only for the area but much wider on a national and international level and lead in innovative thinking about wellness.”
Steffan was born a few miles from the Delta Lakes site in Pontiets and now lives just down the road in Llangennech with his wife and twin daughters. A qualified engineer, chartered surveyor and environmental manager, he has worked for Carmarthenshire County Council for the past 12 years in its economic development division, on major projects such as the largest land reclamation project in the UK – the hugely successful Millennium Coastal Park.
Steffan said he had a passion for regeneration and economic development. “To be involved in this new venture is therefore a fantastic opportunity and a challenge I am delighted to be a part of,” he said. “It will be without doubt a truly transformational project for the area and for the people of Llanelli and the region. In fact it will be a project of national significance, a once in a lifetime project which will without question benefit many generations to come.”
Bjorn, who lives in Llwynhendy with his wife and two daughters, worked for the past three years as a senior lecturer for Swansea University in the Medical School and the School of Management, and has also spent the last 18 months in a leadership role within the ARCH programme.
Bjorn said he was excited to be working on a project which would achieve things that hadn’t been achieved before. “The impact it will have on Llanelli is huge,” he said. “The best thing about this project is the joint ambition – no one is forcing us to do this; it is a fantastic vision and all the partners are fully aligned with what we are trying to achieve.”
View footage of the site:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8iNZH5r8Os
An aerial view of the site can be seen. It includes footage of the coastline and neighbouring areas, giving a clear view of the Delta Lakes site and where it sits within the surrounding environment
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