Almost 800 homes, an approximately 100,000-square-foot Amazon distribution unit in full operational swing and a 700,000-square-foot ICT manufacturing facility are three highlights having a major impact on the community around a former Royal Air Force base in North Wales, leading to the project being given a CoStar Impact Award by an independent panel of judges.
The Airfields development in Deeside already is driving substantial job creation and economic activity, with the Amazon unit itself supporting 50 onsite staff and more than 300 delivery drivers.
Not only has local employment been boosted, but the site is seeing increasing footfall and spend across the region as it reshapes the area’s residential and commercial landscape and creates a balanced, sustainable community with strong long‑term economic prospects.
About the project: The rapid take‑up of space at The Airfields has resulted in only one industrial plot and three roadside commercial plots remaining. Strong market demand across the 247‑acre site bodes well for the wider Northern Gateway masterplan – which The Airfields is part of – that has approximately four million square feet of commercial and industrial space.
One prominent reason for The Airfields’ success is its strategic position serving both North Wales and the North West of England. It enjoys proximity to major roads and intersections, notably the A494, A55 and junction 16 of the M56, which has enhanced the site’s connectivity for logistics, manufacturing and service-based businesses and made the site a key employment destination and focus for large-scale investment.
What the judges said: Kathryn Williams, managing director, KEW Planning, said The Airfields “is a game changer for North Wales, creating a strong supply of employment, with a key anchor company, Amazon, to help attract other businesses to this significant economic hub”, while Cenydd Rowlands, property director, Development Bank of Wales, said “the significant scale of this development and its positive effect offer across multiple different sectors a transformational impact for the region”.
They made it happen: Nick Folland, director, Barnes Walker; David Harman, project director, Praxis Group; Arwel Lloyd, managing director, UCML; Denis Morgan, director, D Morgan; Robert Redmond, director, JPG; Jonathan Thorne, partner, B8RE, and Gavin Winter, associate director, Spawforths.
