Work starts at Delta Lakes for multi-million-pound wellness village

WORK has started at Delta Lakes in Llanelli ready for the multi-million-pound Wellness and Life Science Village.

Initial ground works are now underway to support the ‘once in a lifetime’ future development of the Llanelli Waterside Joint Venture land.

Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd has been appointed to carry out the site preparation works following a competitive tender exercise using the council’s contractor framework.

The Wellness and Life Science Village – which will see an investment of more than £200million along the Llanelli coastline – is being led by Carmarthenshire County Council, under the ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health) programme, which is a partnership between Hywel Dda and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Boards and Swansea University.

It is also a key project for the Swansea Bay City Region and is earmarked to receive £40million as part of the £1.3billion City Deal funding.

The largest ever regeneration project in South West Wales, it aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people across the region, creating high quality jobs and boosting the economy.

The proposals include an Institute of Life Science with laboratory and clinic space and an incubation facility for business start-up, research and development; a wellness hub incorporating a new ‘state-of-the-art’ sports and leisure centre, a wellbeing centre, a wellness hotel and an assisted living village all interlinked and set within a ‘green’ eco-park.

Council Leader Emlyn Dole said: “This is a very exciting time for the region and I am delighted to see that initial works have started. Delta Lakes will provide a ‘world class’ Wellness and Life Science Village in Llanelli bringing together health, leisure, business and research.

“As well as encouraging people to lead healthier lives and delivering care closer to people’s homes; it aims to build on the success of the Institute of Life Science (ILS) at Swansea University attracting private sector investment which will create up to 2000 good quality, well-paid jobs across across a range of professions and boost the economy by a staggering £467 million over 15 years.”

The Swansea Bay City Deal is a £1.3billion investment that will transform the economic landscape of the area, boosting the local economy by £1.8billion, and generating almost 10,000 new jobs over the next 15 years.

The Swansea Bay City Region Board includes four local authorities – Carmarthenshire County Council, Swansea City Council, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Pembrokeshire County Council – together with Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Hywel Dda University Health Boards, Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity St David’s, and private sector companies.

It was signed by Prime Minister Theresa May and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns, Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Professor Mark Drakeford, and the leaders of the four authorities on Monday, March 20, 2017.