Council approves £467m life sciences park

Carmarthenshire County Council has given its backing to the proposed £467m life science and well-being village planned for Llanelli, with the local authority also deciding to go it alone without development parter Sterling Health, terminating a formal collaboration agreement.The council’s executive board approved the business case for the development, which is expected to create 2,000 jobs at the Delta Lakes site.Along with a number of other projects across South West Wales, the village is due to be part-funded by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal, subject to the approval of a business case by the UK and Welsh governments.Officers at the council have also been asked to explore a potential alternative delivery model for the village, after terminating a formal Collaboration Agreement with Sterling Health Securities Holdings.As well as an Institute of Life Science, a Community Health Hub facility at the village is set to include a Wellness Education Centre and a Clinical Delivery Centre.Professor Medwin Hughes, vice chancellor of University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s, said: “UWTSD reaffirms the importance of this key project for the region and within a restructured initiative, would welcome the opportunity of furthering transformational change for the Swansea Bay City Region.”