Lift off for Anglesey’s £1bn Prosperity Parc

Stena Line-owned property firm Anglesey Land Holdings has had its outline plans to redevelop a derelict aluminium smelting site into an R&D facility, offices, and a 2.5m sq ft data centre approved by the local authority.

Stena Line acquired the 217-acre Holyhead site in 2002 and wants to build 108,000 sq ft of offices, 54,000 sq ft of R&D space, and a battery energy storage system, with a target capacity of 349MW.

The core element of the site is the 2.5m sq ft data centre, which will have access to a major fibre optic node with pan-Atlantic connections, strong national grid links, as well as a direct road to Holyhead Port.

Planning consultant Oxalis Planning stated the £1bn project has caught the eyes of high-value occupiers due to the site’s access to strategic power and telecommunications infrastructure.

It is expected that the project could, at its peak, generate an economic output of £578m a year and create up to 1,200 jobs for the area, according to an economic impact assessment by Cadnant Planning and Glic.

Prosperity Parc is part of the Anglesey Freeport, which would provide resident firms with taxation and customs benefits.

Anglesey County Council decided to approve the outline plans, which were first revealed in December 2024.

A public consultation on the data centre plans ran up until 10 January 2025. Credit: via planning documents

Ian Hampton, managing director of Anglesey Freeport for Stena Line, said: “This development reflects our commitment to Anglesey and Anglesey Freeport, helping us to deliver on the promises of the Freeport, creating jobs for the people of Anglesey, protecting Welsh heritage and language, and boosting economic growth across North Wales.

“We will now focus on working with our partners and the local community to deliver more detailed plans as we continue to invest in Anglesey.”

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The site is wholly owned by Stena Line, which has owned and operated Holyhead Port for 30 years. Penrhos Aluminium Works ceased operations and left the site found off the A5 in 2013.

Stena Line expects the site to host up to 128 acres of green infrastructure, mainly situated within a central park.

Christian Branch, head of regulation and economic development for Anglesey County Council, added: “Securing outline planning permission is another significant step forward for Prosperity Parc.

“This important milestone is critical to the redevelopment of this strategic, brownfield site, which will contribute towards realising the delivery of the wider Anglesey Freeport vision.

“The proposed development will help deliver significant levels of jobs and investment in the site, which will drive growth and bring wider socio-economic benefits to Anglesey and North Wales.”

Stena Line’s successful application is a Welsh contribution to the national drive to build more data centres, which were granted critical national infrastructure status by the Labour government.

This year, plans for a £250m data centre were approved by Salford City Council, while Blackpool’s 50-acre Silicon Sands is one of the largest data centre projects being undertaken in the North West.

The project team for the Anglesey project includes masterplanner FPCR Environment & Design, TrueLine Midlands, Alan Wood & Partners, Wessex Archaeology, Vanguardia (a Buro Happold Company), Arbtech, ADC Infrastructure, MBA Consulting Engineers, and DFL.

To view the outline application, use the planning reference number OP/2025/2 on Anglesey County Council’s planning portal.

A full application is set to be put forward in the coming weeks.