The £50m building in Wales set to be redundant before it opens

Wales Online

3 hours ago

The £50m building in Wales set to be redundant before it opens
The new facility has been built at huge costs at a border point in Wales but may never be used
An overhead view of the berths at Holyhead Port
(Image: Google )
A £50m facility built to handle border checks for goods arriving at Holyhead port on Anglese may be redundant before it is ever used.
The building was created to handle the kind of sanitary and phytosanitary checks on fresh produce entering from the EU that would have become needed as a result of the Brexit deal that came into effect in 2020.
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The checks were delayed over concerns that it would lead to price rises for businesses and consumers. But it was only ever a delay to the implementation of the deal that had been agreed with Brussels.
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On Anglesey, the UK Government budgeted £47.8m for a border control post at Holyhead. The plan was for the Welsh Government to operate the facility, as the Cardiff Bay administration is responsible for biosecurity, food safety and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls in Wales.
The £41m build contract was won by the Keir construction group and which began work on the facility at Parc Cybi, just outside Holyhead. It is scheduled for completion in autumn.
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But the new SPS agreement struck in May between Keir Starmer's administration and the European Commission may render the facility unnecessary.
The aim of Starmer's deal is to trade barriers for food, plants, and animal products, making trade between the UK and EU cheaper and easier.
The Welsh Government said: 'We are considering the implications of a potential SPS agreement with the EU on the future implementation of the Border Target Operating Model in Wales. The Deputy First Minister will make a statement to the Senedd in the coming weeks."
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Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, MS for Ynys Mon, said 'The chaotic situation regarding the need – or not – for border control posts is symptomatic of the chaos and costs surrounding Brexit as a whole.
"Large sums of public money have been spent, Anglesey Council has faced significant pressures, and we even lost the very important truck stop that went to make way for post-Brexit border infrastructure.
"We need assurances now that the taxpayer won't be left further out of pocket, but the sad thing is that much of the damage caused will remain with us for many years to come.' Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone