Deeside Enterprise Zone to welcome new industrial units with Vista Park expansion

Phase two of the Vista Business Park development has been approved by Flintshire Council.

The council’s planning committee met to decide on the next phase of the development close to the Manor Lane junction in Hawarden, and near the Airbus plant in Broughton.

This phase will see three commercial buildings constructed; one for industrial business use, another for light industrial business use, and a storage and distribution facility.

Also included in this phase is an extension of the internal access road, further parking and landscaping.

Planning officer James Beattie told councillors the 4.7 hectares of greenfield land had been allocated as a business and employment area in the council’s Local Development Plan.

He said: “The first phase of the development was granted planning permission in 2021 and consisted of four industrial units which are currently under construction and due for completion this year.

“The site is also allocated inside the Deeside Enterprise Zone.”

He recommended the application be granted.

Speaking in favour of the development on behalf of the applicants Redsun Projects Ltd, Rhys Davies said the developer had taken into account the amenity of local residents and no objections had been received.

He added that the developer had secured tenants for the phase one site, and had tenants lined up for the phase two site if granted permission.

Buckley Pentrobin Cllr Mike Peers (Ind) supported the application but had questions about Broughton Lodge adjacent to the site which he believed to be part of the Hawarden Estate, and whether it was of local importance.

He also asked what type of operations would be based at the business park and about any noise that might be created at the site if the proposal was granted.

Cllr Peers said: “It’s an important site to the employment and wellbeing of the economy in the county.

“There is no proposal to restrict any 24 hour operations.

“An important aspect of the Deeside Enterprise Zone is to continue to develop as a major centre for advanced manufacturing.
“If it is part of the zone we should be looking at the advanced manufacturing side.”

Mr Beattie told members that Broughton Lodge is not listed and that the planning of the units had been designed so that they could be used for a variety of uses including as a high quality manufacturing site.

He added that there were no concerns about noise given the distance from the site and level of screening provided.
Councillors voted in support of this phase of the development.

Earlier in the meeting, the other item on the agenda – a proposed 21 home development on Rhewl Fawr Road in the Penyffordd area of Holywell was deferred.

Chief planning officer Andrew Farrow explained that it was deferred from November after concerns about flooding issues and confusion about comments made on the application during the public consultation period.

The applicants have since provided more information about the proposal and after the council’s Local Development Plan was adopted earlier this year, had changed the scheme to be fully affordable housing.

Mr Farrow said local councillors need more time to consider the revised scheme and suggested deferring a decision again until the next planning meeting. The committee voted in favour of the deferral.

By Rory Sheehan – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).