Clock ticks for £50m North Wales greenhouses

Brighton-based Low Carbon Farming, which provides green solutions to the food industry, has lodged an application for a pair of greenhouses occupying a combined 37 acres west of Sesswick Way in Marchwiel, Wrexham.

The council is under pressure to approve the plans by September so that the project remains viable. 

The proposed greenhouses would be used to grow fruit and vegetables and be heated using renewable energy from ground-source heat pumps as opposed to natural gas boilers – the usual method of heating – to reduce carbon emissions. 

The Government’s Non-Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive provides companies with a subsidy for every unit of renewable heat they generate. 

However, the scheme is being wound down and Low Carbon Farming needs approval for its Wrexham project by September if it is to benefit from the subsidy, according to the company’s director Andy Allen. 

The wider site, located between the Five Fords wastewater treatment works and SecAnim abattoir, covers more than 100 acres and will also house a building to package products grown inside the greenhouses. 

Around 150 people would be employed at the facility, according to Low Carbon Farming. 

“Large-scale glasshouse developments of this type make a major contribution towards the production of UK-grown food and thus national food security, while at the same time significantly reducing associated CO2 levels and food miles,” the company said. 

Wales aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050.