Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning
Following the Welsh Government and UK Government agreement of the Anglesey Freeport Outline Business Case, both governments laid legislation to designate their proposed tax sites. I am pleased to announce that as of today (23 January) Anglesey Freeport’s tax sites are now live and the Freeport is open for business.
This is a positive and significant development which aims to support sustained growth and high-quality jobs in Anglesey and across the region. It builds on the positive news of the resumption of Holyhead ferry operations last week, for people wanting to travel and for businesses transporting goods, which had been severely impacted by storm damage before Christmas.
With the designation of Prosperity Park and Parc Cybi in Holyhead, and the central Anglesey sites of M-Sparc and two brownfield locations within Llangefni Industrial Estate, businesses in these areas can now access a range of tax incentives designed to drive investment and growth.
Anglesey joins the Celtic Freeport in Port Talbot and Milford Haven where tax sites became live at the end of November. We are already working closely with both Freeports and the UK Government to finalise their Full Business Cases which will release up to £25m seed capital for each Freeport and move them fully into delivery.
We also continue to work closely with the UK Government on the future of the UK Freeport programme as set out in the autumn statement. We are sharing lessons from our approach to Freeports in Wales as well as looking to learn from lessons from delivery to date in England.
The designation of tax sites for all Welsh Freeports, progress on finalising business cases, and our continued joint working highlight how the Welsh Government is working hand-in-hand with the UK Government to support growth and jobs.