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Anglesey Enterprise Island Councillor Bryan Owen, Leader Isle of Anglesey County Council Welcome to Anglesey Croeso i Ynys Môn the northernmost county in Wales and the main route from Great Britain to Ireland via the port of Holyhead. 38
Famed for its natural beauty and steeped in history, the Isle of Anglesey also has a proud agricultural and industrial heritage. Anglesey s economic vision for the future is very much focused on creating the right conditions for further investment while safeguarding the county s most precious assets. This is why, at the beginning of 2012, we announced our new economic vision for Anglesey Enterprise Island. Enterprise Island is a key programme in our journey towards a New Anglesey, and a commitment to working in a new way, bringing the numerous economic development policies and programmes together under one overarching aim: to make Anglesey a globally-renowned region of choice which leads the way in terms of supporting new businesses and enabling existing businesses to grow and flourish, creating a centre of excellence in low-carbon energy research and production, and developing a thriving tourism industry. The announcement by Edwina Hart AM, Welsh Government Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science that Anglesey would be one of the first five enterprise zones in Wales was confirmation of our standing in terms of investment potential. Since then, we have been working diligently to shape the possible incentives and support which could be provided to businesses operating in Anglesey s enterprise zone. Anglesey is also well placed in terms of potential access to EU funding. As a part of the West Wales and the Valleys region, Anglesey qualifies for the highest level of EU funding support, and has over a decade s experience in operating EU structural funding programmes through the Objective 1 funding programme 2000-2006 and its successor scheme, the EU Convergence Programme 2007-2013. As a consequence of its designation, businesses hoping to invest in the area benefit from opportunities to access a number of business support mechanisms. The island also benefits from other EU funding programmes such as Interreg and the Rural Development Plan for Wales. Anglesey s position in the low-carbon energy sector continues to offer exciting opportunities for investors. These include projects such as opportunities in offshore wind power, micro-generation and marine renewables, as well as the proposed new nuclear power station and extended operation, defuelling and decommissioning of the existing power Enterprise Island is a commitment to working in a new way, bringing the numerous economic development policies and programmes together under one overarching aim: to make Anglesey a globally-renowned region of choice which leads the way in terms of supporting new businesses and enabling existing businesses to grow and flourish, creating a centre of excellence in low-carbon energy research and production, and developing a thriving tourism industry. ] station at Wylfa. The Energy Island Programme, led by the Isle of Anglesey County Council, has robustly taken on the challenge of supporting sustainable development in this area. Bangor University, a short journey across one of our two magnificent bridges, provides strong support for research activities including encouraging links with commercial and industrial bodies in the UK and overseas. The latest Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008) has confirmed Bangor s status as a research-led university with an international perspective, having identified world-leading research in all of its 19 assessed subject areas, with nearly 50 per cent given the top grading of 3* and 4*. On the island, further education college Coleg Menai provides a range of vocational courses and has recently established the 6 million Energy Centre to help ensure Anglesey is at the forefront of skills provision to support the growing energy sector. Tourism means business, as well as pleasure, on Anglesey. Our island attracts some 1.5 million visitors a year, injects some 233 million into the local economy and supports over 4,000 jobs on the Island. This summer, we will welcome 18 cruise ships to our dock, our beaches are world-renowned, Beaumaris Castle is a World Heritage Site and regarded as the most technically perfect castle in Britain and the 125 mile Coastal Path is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, never mind the magnificent views over to Snowdonia This is a place people want to come, again and again. One of the reasons for the Island s appeal to tourists and businesses alike is its impressive transport links. The A55, a dual carriageway also known as the north Wales Expressway, runs from Chester all the way along the north Wales coast through to Anglesey to Holyhead, allowing accessibility to Liverpool and Manchester international airports and access to the UK motorway network. National rail links are accessible through Bangor to Holyhead. Anglesey is also one of the main freight and passenger routes to Ireland, and from the busy port of Holyhead, there are regular ferries to Dublin. Anglesey also has its own airport, situated adjacent to RAF Valley and offering twice-daily 30- minute flights to Cardiff, and seasonal flights to the Isle of Man. With its natural resources, its transport links and its already well-established tradition of welcoming businesses large and small, Anglesey really does offer a great opportunity for enterprise. WORLD CLASS WALES Anglesey Enterprise Island 39
A breath of fresh air Anglesey has a new blueprint for the future which will ensure the safeguarding of its most precious natural assets, whilst making the most of opportunities to attract inward investment and increase prosperity in the area One of the most significant springboards for Enterprise Island will be Anglesey s designation as an enterprise zone. Over the coming months, we can anticipate a series of announcements on the benefits the enterprise zone status will offer to new and existing businesses alike. The Island has a number of established industrial estates and business parks, most of which are located on or close to the main dual carriageway which runs from Chester to Holyhead, the A55. The County Council can advise on the availability of serviced development sites or business premises to rent or buy. Welsh Government strategic sites are located at Bryn Cefni in Llangefni and Parc Cybi in Holyhead. Across the region, the North West Local Investment Fund (NW LIF) is a package of flexible financial support to assist new and existing businesses by offering capital grants of 40 per cent of eligible projects with investment ranging between 1,000 and 35,000. The scheme, totaling 8 million, with 3.8 million secured through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), is designed to support the growth and expansion of small businesses, and take up has been high, with a range of projects being supported and real-world benefits felt, enabling young businesses to thrive. The development of the FibreSpeed project through European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Welsh Government funding has enabled the strategic new business park of Parc Cybi on the outskirts of Holyhead, businesses and residents on Anglesey the opportunity to enjoy network speeds of up to 100Mb. The Welsh Government s Next Generation Broadband for Wales project seeks to ensure that all residential premises and all businesses in Wales will have access to Next Generation Broadband by 2015, with the ambition that 50 per cent or more have access to 100Mbps. Anglesey is hoping this will be a great stride forward for existing businesses and potential investors to embrace the digital age. Anglesey is also committed to providing local people with the skills they need to enter and succeed in the workplace. To this end, the Isle of Anglesey County Council is working with the Welsh Government and partners in higher and further education to develop high-tech skills and expertise in the energy sector, as well as day-to-day trades and skills which support the tourism industry, from catering to business administration. Menter Môn s 4 million Shaping the Future project will address the impact of the nuclear industry restructuring resulting from the decommissioning plans of the two sites in north West Wales at Trawsfynydd 40
in Gwynedd and Wylfa on Anglesey. It is backed with 2.3 million from the European Social Fund, and funding from the Môn a Menai project through the Welsh Government, 1.2 million from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and additional funding from Gwynedd County Council and Isle of Anglesey County Council. The project will be helping to reduce the impact, strengthen the supply chain and help people into sustainable employment. It will also focus on training and development opportunities to help attract inward investment into Anglesey, in line with the Isle of Anglesey County Council s Energy Island initiative. Skills development, especially for young people, forms an integral part of the Energy Island Programme. This programme has been developed in order to promote and support investment in major energy production. The vision is to create a worldrenowned centre of excellence for research and development, production and servicing of the low carbon energy sector. A number of potential projects make the realisation of this vision an exciting possibility. This includes capitalising on the development and operation of Centrica s Irish Sea Offshore Wind Round 3 area, the potential for new nuclear build at Wylfa, development of the former Anglesey Aluminium Metal Ltd site and further potential in tidal and renewable energy. These developments have the potential to realise new high quality jobs and present opportunities for local companies to become part of the wider supply chain. Another important step change on Anglesey is the development of a destination management plan. This is a new, coordinated approach to managing and developing tourism on Anglesey. It brings together a range of partners including: The private sector, responsible for meeting the day-to-day needs of visitors Council departments, responsible for destination management The various economic and community development projects that impact tourism Politicians, who have to agree policy and allocate resources The local community, that is concerned about tourism-related opportunities and possible impacts upon their way of life. Newly appointed principal tourism development officer Iwan Huws explained: Economically, tourism is massive for the island s economy, and that s why publicprivate collaboration with the tourist trade on the island is essential. Being an island Students at Coleg Menai's new Energy Centre in Llangefni receive training on working in the energy industry is a unique selling point in itself, and Anglesey is already a really popular destination for families and activity holidays. The purpose of this destination management plan is to shape a shared sense of purpose and indeed responsibility for how we develop tourism in the future. Thanks to European funding, the town of Amlwch, as well as Holyhead and Llangefni, is benefiting from significant regeneration investment as part of the Anglesey Three Towns Physical Regeneration Project (see www.anglesey.gov.uk for further details). The Amlwch Regeneration Scheme aims to regenerate the town by transforming the existing Amlwch port square into a more welcoming and suitable outdoor event venue, enhancing this historic harbour area and improving access to the Anglesey coastal path. Holyhead has also received a large proportion of funding due to size, high regeneration need, town centre commercial vacancy rate and its role as an important cruise ship and international gateway. Numerous projects are either completed, underway or in the planning stages. Four significant projects have been the focus of funding in the market town of Llangefni. These include radically transforming the town hall (also funded by the Big Lottery) to include a community space and Fab Lab on the ground floor and offices on the second and third floors, the purchase of folding tables and pop-up gazebos to encourage more start-up businesses to sell their goods at the town market, and other community-based initiatives to boost the town. Elsewhere on Anglesey, the Coastal Environment project aims to develop onshore and off-shore facilities to maximise economic benefits and impacts from the coastline of Anglesey, by implementing a variety of innovative activities at strategic locations around the coast and providing increased opportunities for local communities and visitors to participate in watersports activities. The 2 million redevelopment of Beaumaris Pier, recently re-opened, is an excellent example of how Anglesey is harnessing European Funding to attract visitors and enhance the already powerful draw of our beautiful island. With so much support in place, and a whole host of exciting developments on the way, why not join us on this exciting journey? Economic Development Unit Isle of Anglesey County Council Bryn Cefni Business Park, Llangefni Anglesey LL77 7XA Tel: 01248 752480 Fax: 01248 752192 Email: econdev@anglesey.gov.uk www.anglesey.gov.uk WORLD CLASS WALES Anglesey Enterprise Island 41