RAF Sealand regeneration work starts after 'years of waiting'

More than 700 homes are planned, along with shops and businesses

Work has begun on the £95m regeneration of a former RAF station which was given the green light six years ago.

Flintshire County Council granted outline permission in 2012 for shops, businesses and homes at the former RAF Sealand.

Progress on the Northern Gateway scheme had stalled, until the Welsh Government funded a £3m access road.

Sealand councillor Christine Jones welcomed the start of work, saying it would "totally revitalise the area".

The RAF station closed in 2006, and the development plan was first unveiled in 2011.

Council bosses spoke then of their hopes that the Airfields project would boost the Flintshire economy in the same way as the Deeside Industrial Estate, on the site of the former Shotton steelworks.

• Go-ahead for jobs and home park

• Five enterprise zones are created

• Deeside £1.8m public transport boost

• RAF Sealand set to close

Ms Jones revealed that preparation work had begun at the site, where there are plans to build up to 725 homes over the next nine years.

"There is now a lot of groundwork being done on the Airfields site, after many years of waiting," she said.

Developer Praxis Real Estate Management said it had also received "considerable interest" from businesses wanting to move onto the 98 hectares (240 acres) of employment land it is developing over the next six years, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Praxis said up to 500 jobs could be created in businesses expected to include a health and fitness centre, pub and restaurant, car show room, petrol station and nursery.

The Airfields development forms part of the wider Deeside Enterprise Zone, which is hoped to create 5,000 jobs.