CALLS have been made for the owners of the former Royal Navy armaments depot at Trecwn to start talks about the future of the site, and bring promised jobs to the county.

Former arms depot Trecwn closed in the 1990s, with the loss of 500 jobs; the site put up for sale.

Western Telegraph:

In the late 1990s owners Omega Pacific controversially proposed it could be used for storing low-level nuclear waste, shelved after public opposition.

In 2015, plans to build an £80m wood fuelled biomass plant at Trecwn, included in Pembrokeshire's Haven Waterway Enterprise Zone, were given the go-ahead.

It was expected the plant would create up to 45 jobs, and a further 250 in its construction.

It was unanimously supported by Pembrokeshire County Council’s planning and rights of way committee meeting.

Keith Lewis, the-then Cabinet Member for Economy and Tourism welcomed the development; but added: “I hope it’s a project that starts and not one left on the shelf for years.”

The proposed combined heat and power (CHP) development, operating 24 hours a day, would generate 25 megawatts of electrical power and up to five megawatts of heat.

Support for the scheme came from Scleddau Community Council, while objections were received from Pembrokeshire Friends of the Earth and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural Wales.

However, nothing has happened at the site to date, leading to Scleddau County Councillor Samuel Kurtz seeking talks between current owners Manhattan Loft Corporation, Pembrokeshire County Council, and the Welsh Government.

Cllr Kurtz said: “The former RNAD depot at Trecwn is an ideal location for the much-needed, highly skilled jobs required in north Pembrokeshire.

“With the stimulus an Enterprise Zone can bring, I’m confident that, working together, stakeholders can ensure that the site is brought back to life, benefiting the local economy.”

PICTURES: Martin Cavaney.