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Post-Brexit £51m border control post to sit empty

Charlie Buckland
BBC News
BBC Photograph of the outside of the BCP site. It is a white building with white fencing, and "Kier" can be seen on the side of the site. BBC
The Welsh government says it will not proceed with the final commissioning and staffing of the Holyhead border control post

A £51m border control post built for post-Brexit checks will sit empty, the Welsh government has said.

The facility at Parc Cybi near Holyhead port in Anglesey received £44m in funding from the UK government, and was built to allow checks on animals and plants entering the UK from Ireland after the UK left the EU.

But despite it being finished, a new deal negotiated between the EU and the UK now means the majority of the imports might not need to be checked.

Wales' Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies also scrapped similar sites in Fishguard and Pembroke Dock and said Parc Cybi will remain under review until final details of the agreement are known.

In a statement, he said he would not proceed with the final commissioning and staffing of the Holyhead site, and longer term plans can only be made once the UK's deal with the EU is finalised.

"In the meantime, it is crucial that it remains ready and available as a potential BCP facility," he added.

Despite the UK leaving the European Union more than five years ago, there were delays to implementing the checks over concerns that it would lead to price rises for businesses and consumers.

A common understanding between the UK and the EU was announced in May 2025, as part of efforts to reset their post-Brexit relationship.

Details of the agreement are to be negotiated, but it aims to reduce trade barriers for food, plants, and animal products to make trade between the UK and EU cheaper and easier.

If agreed, it would exempt many imports of live animals and goods from sanitary and phytosanitary checks at the border.

Photograph of the outside of the BCP site in Holyhead. It is a white building with white fencing, and "Kier" can be seen on the side of the site.
The £50m facility on Parc Cybi will remain empty

The Welsh government began constructing the post with Kier Construction, the main contractor on the project, in March 2024 and it was anticipated to be completed by autumn 2025.

Holyhead is the busiest Irish Sea ferry port, handling more than 75% of imports from Ireland to Great Britain.

The site planned to create jobs in the local area, with up to 30 employees expected to staff the site over a 24-hour period.

The Welsh government said it remained committed to providing sufficient notice for traders and delivery partners should any new border checks need to be introduced.