Wrexham: £50m greenhouse project may be pulled after delays
Plans to build two giant greenhouses, creating up to 150 jobs, could be binned over planning process delays.
By Matthew RichardsBBC News Developers Low Carbon Farming claims its £50m sites could supply 5% of the UK's cucumbers and tomatoes. But the company said it may have to pull the plug after delays in the planning process meant it had missed out on UK government tariffs. Wrexham council said the application was "extremely ambitious and, in many respects, unrealistic". In July, Low Carbon Farming, which already operate two similar sites in East Anglia, warned the council it could withdraw the application if a decision was not made by September. It said a decision made later would mean it would miss out on UK government tariffs, which are due to be scaled back in October, making the project less financially viable. Andy Allen, from the company, hoped the application would be discussed by the council's planning committee on Monday, but it is not listed. He said: "We continue to work constructively with the planning department to overcome obstacles, but we need them to convene a special meeting of the planning committee prior to the end of September". A council spokesman said: "The consultation process has raised issues and concerns which need further information and assessment. "Until these are complete officers are unable to make a recommendation. "We cannot circumvent the planning process in any way and we are currently going through the correct planning procedures which will be determined once this process is completed."