Wrexham Industrial Estate
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The Wrexham Industrial Estate is the largest industrial estate in north Wales, (2nd largest in United Kingdom. by size) situated on the eastern side of the town of Wrexham[citation needed].
The Wrexham Industrial Estate had its origins as an Royal Ordnance Factory, ROF Wrexham, during the World War II. The factory made explosives and the buildings were spread over a large area. The site was chosen for its distance from European bombers while having good rail networks and a rural location that provided a good supply of labour but in a wide spread area. Many of the original buildings can still be seen today and still house smaller businesses on the estate.
The current estate covers some 5.5 square kilometres of land and is the tenth largest industrial estate in Europe[citation needed], with more than 7000 employees in over 300 businesses including Kellogg's, JCB, Cytec, Ball Packaging and Pirelli Cables. The development of the estate was financially supported by the Welsh Development Agency (WDA), to try and ensure stability of employment and to counter the effects of the negative equity trap and depression Wrexham suffered in the 1960s and 1970s.
Access is provided through many major B roads. To rectify this, there is currently a scheme to complete a Dual carriageway straight into the industrial estate, and thus increase accessibility, and promote growth. In February 2005, the Welsh Assembly Government granted £1 million to complete the dual carriageway to the industrial estate, bypassing a small village. There are currently large plot of land for sale around the estate, in the hope that more businesses will arrive.
[edit] Getting there
The Estate is no longer located near a rail line. The closest railway line was the Wrexham to Ellesmere Railway, part of the Cambrian Railway which was closed in the 1960s as a result of the Beeching Axe before the estate was opened. The closest railway station is Wrexham General which is a ten minute drive by taxi. There are buses that run from the town and service the housing estate of Pentre Maelor on a regular basis. The Industrial Estate is approximately one hour from Manchester or Liverpool Airports.
[edit] External links
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