Air ambulance base planned for North Wales

Wales Air Ambulance Charitable Trust was unable to provide needed emergency medical care in more than 550 instances in 2023 and 2024 – a proposed facility in Denbighshire could ensure that does not happen again.

WAACT has started a public consultation on proposals to consolidate its underutilised, daytime-focussed Caernarfon and Welshpool bases into a single air ambulance base outside the village of Rhuallt. This base would have crews available between the hours of 8am and 2am, providing much-needed evening service capability for the region.

Currently, the only WAACT crew flying after 8pm is based in Cardiff and, because of its location, it has been unable to attend hundreds of medical emergencies, including the 550 mentioned previously in North and Mid Wales.

The proposed base would sit on 11 acres of fields just north of the B5429 and close to Junction 28 of the A55. The two-storey building would boast 17,400 sq ft of space with a simulation room, staff rest and training areas, and offices. It would boast air-source heat pumps and have solar panels on its roof.

There would be two helipads for WAACT’s two helicopters, a helicopter hanger, and final approach and take-off area. The base would also be home to four rapid response vehicles. There would be 40 car parking bays nearby and two spaces for motorcycles to park. There would also be storage for six bicycles.

Turley is the planning consultant for the project, with EPT Partnership as the architect. Tir Collective is the landscape architect. The project team includes Brownfield Solutions, CGO Ecology, Kernon Countryside Consultants, Treescene Arboricultural Consultants, CR Archaeology, Anderson Acoustics, C33 Consult, SABA Consult, and Acstro. Jones Brothers Hennlan is the main contractor.

The consultation exercise concludes 13 March. You can engage by going to walesairambulanceconsultation.co.uk.