Swansea University reports it has signed a landmark Collaboration Agreement with Carmarthenshire County Council and a private sector partner to develop the £200m Wellness and Life Science Village planned for Llanelli.

The partnership will bring a significant range of education provision to the site, which is expected to include training for doctors, nurses and other professionals for the life science and health sector. This includes collaboration with other education providers across the Swansea Bay City Region to focus on training opportunities for all levels of employment.

Sterling Health, the scheme’s private sector partner, which leads a prestigious consortium of global companies, will bring additional funding to the project. The Village will feature state of the art health, rehabilitation, wellbeing, sport and leisure amenities, as well as independent research and medical facilities.

The Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village is also being actively supported by the Hywel Dda and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Boards.

Councillor Emlyn Dole, Carmarthenshire County Council Leader, said “This innovative partnership with Swansea University and the private sector is a hugely significant milestone for the Wellness and Life Science Village. The Collaboration Agreement, which follows a rigorous procurement process, is a major step forward for a development that will place Llanelli at the heart of global life science and well-being innovation. Alongside the council, Swansea University and Sterling Health will play a major role in the development of this project, complementing the medical expertise being provided by the Hywel Dda and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Boards. The importance of the Wellness and Life Science Village can’t be overstated. Worth 2,000 well-paid jobs and £467 million to the Llanelli area in the next 15 years, this development will also include a wide range of education, skills and training opportunities for local people, from school leavers right through to postgraduates.”

The project will give Swansea University an exciting expansion opportunity, while helping address some areas of critical skills shortages. Professor Richard B Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University, said “This hugely exciting collaboration between Carmarthenshire County Council, the private sector and Swansea University is ground-breaking in integrating business development, education, healthcare, leisure, tourism, wellness support and research in life-sciences in one location. The collaboration will strengthen the region’s ability to commercialise research in life science, attract inward investment from bio pharmaceutical and medical technology firms, and increase the export of high value goods and services in the field of life sciences. It is a sign of the University’s vital importance to the City Deal project and the impact we have on the region, both economic and in delivering 21st century health provision.”

The Wellness and Life Science Village is also due to be part funded, subject to the approval of a business case, by the £1.3bn Swansea Bay City Deal. An outline planning application for the Village was submitted in March this year, with work on site earmarked to start towards the end of 2018.

Franz Dickmann, of Sterling Health, said “The Village proposals have to date benefitted from impeccable local leadership from Carmarthenshire County Council and significant expertise from Swansea University, and it will now be a real pleasure to be able to help deliver this stellar example of ground-breaking healthcare and leisure innovation. Our mission is to put people at the centre of the healthcare system, and the mandate that we give ourselves is to strive to help them live longer, live better and live at home. The Village encapsulates that holistic approach, and we can’t wait to get started.”

The first phase of the project, due to open in early 2021, will include a Community Health Hub featuring an Institute of Life Sciences and an Institute of Innovation. A Wellness Hub including a top quality leisure centre will also be constructed. The Wellness and Life Science Village will also include space for business incubation and development, a nursing home, a wellness hotel, an eco-park for outdoor learning, and landscaped lakeside facilities for walking, cycling and other recreational activities. Overall project completion is scheduled for 2023.