Inquiry expected into £100m Holyhead marina redevelopment

Isle of Anglesey County Council is set to hold a public inquiry into the £100m mixed-use marina project planned by Conygar Investment Company and Stena Line at Holyhead, which was approved in 2012 and has faced local opposition.

The proposals for the site around Newry Beach consist of 386 apartments and townhouses, a 500-berth marina, 43,470 sq ft of office, commercial, retail and leisure facilities in addition to a hotel. Amenities are included such as a maritime museum, a visitor centre and a youth sailing club, with marine workshop and apprenticeship training facilities.

The masterplan for the project was approved by the council in 2012. Waterfront Action Group, a campaign group which opposes the scheme, then submitted a request to the council in 2014 to register part of the marina as village green, protecting it from future developments.

A statement from Isle of Anglesey County Council said: “The Isle of Anglesey County Council, acting as Registration Authority, has now received written advice from a barrister, Jeremy Pike, who specialises in the law of Town and Village Greens, in respect of the application to register land as a new town or village green in Newry, Holyhead.

“Mr Pike’s advice is that the Registration Authority should not make a decision on the application until it has first held a non-statutory public inquiry into certain matters identified in his written advice. The Registration Authority accepts this advice and will put in hand arrangements for an inquiry in due course.

“As we are now in the election period ahead of elections to the Welsh Assembly on 5 May 2016 and this matter is known to be of significant local interest, the Council, as Registration Authority, will not make any further public statement until after the elections.

“After the elections are concluded, the Registration Authority will publish Mr Pike’s written advice in full.”

In its role as Registrations Authority, the council keeps a record of the rights concerning common land in villages and towns, and is responsible for deciding whether to include new applications for village greens in its list of registers.

No one from Conygar Stena Line was available to comment.