TWO businesses in Chirk desperate to put in mains gas to cut their overheads have been told they cannot tap into a new pipeline being laid just yards from their properties.
Contractors recently started work on installing the main along Church Street, so Wales and West Housing Association can install central heating at 45 properties in its nearby St Mary’s Close development.
But the Hand Hotel and nearby Chirk Tandoori have both been told it does not have the capacity for them to link into it – and that if it was upgraded the connection fee would be “very high”.
Phil Roberts, one of the joint owners of the Hand Hotel, said: “We do not have mains gas and using forms of fuel, such as liquid propane gas (LPG) and oil for our cooking and heating is costing us tens of thousands of pounds a year.
“Eighteen months ago British Gas told us it would cost £75,000 to connect us and they would have to bring in a bigger main from 400 metres away to do this.
“We recently asked the contractors who are putting in the new main and they also told us it would be very expensive to connect us, as we would need a supply equivalent to that of three normal houses.”
Mustafa Miah, joint owner of the Chirk Tandoori just across the road from the Hand Hotel, said: “We are spending between £150-£200 a week on bottled gas for our tandoori oven and central heating.
“We have been told that putting us on to the new main would be very expensive, which as a small business we can’t really afford.
“It seems unfair that mains gas is being put in close to our property yet we can’t have it.”
Chirk South councillor Terry Evans said: “It seems stupid that although a new main is going right up the street commercial properties desperate to tap into it can’t do so. It is something I will be investigating further.”
A spokesman for contractors ES Pipelines, which is laying the main, said: “We calculated the available capacity of the pipeline laid originally to Chirk and determined that, while there was sufficient gas available for Wales and West HA’s properties, there was insufficient to be able to offer it to the commercial properties near the new pipeline. We explored a number of options to see if this could be done as we are always keen to offer mains natural gas to consumers who want it.
“If the commercial properties wished to link to our new gas pipeline, the network would need to be upgraded to cope with the additional demand.
“This would mean the cost to the commercial properties for a
mains gas connection would be very high.”
A spokeswoman for Wales and West Housing Association said: “We, of course, understand why other businesses in the local community, of which we are a part, would like to benefit from access to mains gas.
“This is, however, a matter for them to discuss with local providers and the local authority.”