Stena Line and Anglesey County Council announce bid to bring Freeport to North Wales
28th November 2022
Stena Line and Anglesey County Council have announced their intention to submit a major freeport bid to bring prosperity and an economic boost to the region for many years to come.
As well as Holyhead port, Stena Line has invested in a major 213-acre site, which, aligned with a number of sites that are in the process of being selected across Anglesey, will lead to wide-ranging benefits to many parts of the region’s economy.
Swedish company Stena Line is pledging a major foreign investment in Holyhead Port, which is the second largest roll-on/roll-off port in the country and an international gateway to Ireland, via the Irish Sea and an integral part of the “land bridge” between Britain and the EU, offering the fastest route to transport goods between Ireland and the Continent.
If successful, the bid is predicted to return Holyhead to pre-Brexit levels of trade and cement the area as a hub for innovation in trade and clean energy, with industry-leading initiatives along its coastline driving the UK towards its net zero objectives.
The formal bid will be submitted next week to the UK and Welsh Governments. There are already discussions underway with major businesses and institutions who are supporting the bid and are interested in bringing investment to the freeport.
The local public are now being asked to unite behind the bid and show their backing for this once in a lifetime opportunity for the region by registering their support at angleseyfreeport.co.uk.
Freeports remove barriers to trade and provide easements that simplify how businesses can operate. According to initial modelling estimates, the Anglesey Freeport would attract £1bn of much-needed investment, including new, high-salary jobs, in the range of 3,500-13,000 across the region.
The bid, which has the backing of 17 major businesses from a range of sectors and industries, including Rolls Royce, Bechtel and Last Energy, along with major educational partners such as Bangor University, would see the establishment of a secure customs zone at Holyhead and other sites on Anglesey with special tax and tariff arrangements designed to attract major domestic and international investment.
