Drone footage shows scale of a multi-million-pound regeneration project on the former RAF Sealand site

Drone footage shot by local resident Matt Hellen shows the sheer scale of multi-million-pound regeneration project which has been decades in the making.

The footage also shows the changing face of Garden City capturing demolition work on the Gateway to Wales Hotel which was destroyed by fire nearly 14 months ago.

Matt shot the video on Wednesday it shows the site of the burnt-out hotel, which is currently in the process of being sold, a JCB can be seen working on the demolition of the main building.

As the drone footage pans from west to east following the A494 it reveals the scale of the Northern Gateway development site

Flintshire Council granted permission in January 2013 for a major retail and commercial park, as well as more than 700 new homes, on the former RAF Sealand base.

The £95m project, which appeared to have stalled in recent years before it was given new life when the Welsh Government funded the construction of a £3m access road.

Developer Praxis Real Estate Management said it has received ‘considerable interest’ from businesses wanting to move onto the 98 hectares of employment land it wants to deliver in the next six years.

The overall scheme, which also includes 200 acres of land on the former Corus steelworks’ site in Garden City – is expected to result in 5,000 new job opportunities.

Preparation work started on the site in the autumn following the construction of a £3.1m road network funded by the Welsh Government.

Developers are looking to make a start on creating almost 300 new homes on a former airfield after entering the final planning stage.

The RAF base was formerly used by the Ministry of Defence for training purposes and included a number of military buildings, hangars and access roads.

The use of the site stopped in 2006 and the remaining buildings were demolished in 2011.

The first phase of houses will be built over an area of approximately 18 acres.

According to Countryside Properties, it will include a mixture of two, three and four bedroom homes targetted at families.

In a planning statement, they said: “The Airfields site forms part of a long-standing aspiration of Flintshire Council to bring forward comprehensive, mixed-use redevelopment in this area known as ‘the Northern Gateway’ to take advantage of the strategic location and availability of previously developed land.

“This reserved matters application now submitted represents the first residential phase of the Airfields site.

“The development being proposed will therefore continue to build on the momentum to deliver the wider outline site, acting as a catalyst for subsequent phases.
“The principle of residential development at the site has already been established through the outline planning permission

“The proposal represents an attractive, high-quality scheme which respects the overarching development brief for the wider outline site and will make a significant positive contribution towards housing needs in the area.”

Flintshire Council is currently inviting comments on the proposals via its planning website – here.

Any feedback should be submitted before March 22, 2019.