A total of £1.22 million is being invested in the Powys economy – by businesses and the county council – after 18 capital grants were awarded.
The companies are investing nearly £1 million in their own futures, while the council has added £243,000 to the pot from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
There were 150 applicants for the capital grants, announced in August, which are being used to cover up to 50% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of £25,000, for projects that support growth or long-term sustainability.
The 18 businesses that were successful, are buying new equipment, or green technology, ranging from coffee and soldering machines to solar panels and LED lights:
- A E Gough & Sons, Llandrindod Wells – £17,000 towards an in-ground roller brake tester.
- Cambrian Packaging, Newtown – £11,500 towards installing solar panels on its main office and warehouse.
- Cleobury Project Management, Knighton – £12,172.50 towards a spray dryer that will allow the business to develop and manufacture new powdered products.
- Contact Attachments, Newtown – £10,911.98 towards installing solar panels and energy efficient lighting.
- Davlec, Welshpool – £17,000 towards replacing an old wave solder machine with a selective solder, that will improve accuracy, speed up production and reduce energy consumption.
- EV Sales and Repairs, Brecon – £10,118.50 towards new equipment that will increase service capacity.
- Four Crosses Nursery, Llanymynech – £17,000 towards a compost loader that will help boost the output of its robotic potting system.
- Hennighan’s, Machynlleth – £6,624.09 towards improvements at both of its sites in the town, including a new integrated point-of-sale system, and a dedicated burger station at its Top Shop.
- Kindle House, Ystradgynlais – £8,285 towards improvements to the yard seating area at The Stables riverside bar and kitchen.
- Mid Wales Storage, Machynlleth – £8,325 towards installing energy efficient LED lighting.
- Monty’s Brewery, Montgomery – £9,100 towards new brewing equipment, including a larger fermenting tank, that will increase production volume and speed.
- Philip Jones Builders, Newtown – £21,550 towards automated equipment that will help with the manufacture of its own kitchens.
- Polyco, Newtown – £25,000 towards equipment that can be used to separate waste MDF (medium-density fibreboard) into raw wood fibre and a solution containing the resin and glue.
- Reeco Automation, Newtown – £19,870 towards installing solar panels and a biomass unit for heating at its factory.
- Shepherd’s Parlour, Hay-on-Wye – £6,533.74 towards new coffee and milkshake machines, that will improve speed and capacity.
- Tailored Imports, Brecon – £7,720.30 towards stretch-wrap and banding machines that will speed up pallet load building at two warehouses.
- The Lodge, Staylittle – £10,000 towards an air source heat pump and additional battery storage, for use with its solar panels, at the group accommodation venue.
- Antur Brew (Van Dijk Brewing), Crickhowell – £ 24,537 towards can filling and labelling machinery.
All projects are due to be completed and paid for over the next few weeks.
“Selecting the 18 was a difficult process, with around 300 businesses expressing an interest in receiving a grant, and around half of these then going on to submit a full application,” said Councillor Glyn Preston, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys. “We have prioritised the projects that we believe will have the biggest impact on productivity and sustainability across a range of sectors and were delighted to receive so much interest.
“The £1.22 million leveraged through this grant scheme represents a significant investment in our county’s commercial infrastructure.”
