Plans for a medical firm’s new headquarters have been submitted.

Last month the Leader reported how global biotech group Ipsen announced a £22m investment in its UK manufacturing site at Wrexham.

Now a planning application to Wrexham Council requests permission to build a thre- storey office building together with secondary packing areas on the ground floor and storage and dispatch areas at Ipsen Biopharm Ltd in Ash Road North, Wrexham Industrial Estate.

The application also proposes the construction of a new service yard, amendment to the existing entrance and ancillary landscaping works.

A design and access document explains: “The need for the new unit came from a company business case that due to expansion of sales, a new secondary packing and storage facility was required.

“This is both to alleviate the pressure on the existing facility and to cope with the current and future growth.

“The proposed development is intended to provide a high quality building for secondary pharmaceutical packing and storage with goods inwards and dispatch areas to the ground floor.

“First and second floor office accommodation for internal company use.

“The scheme has been developed to meet the high international standards set both by the pharmaceutical industry and Ipsen Biopharm.

“The concept behind the building was to create a central headquarters for the Ipsen site in Wrexham Industrial Estate.

“Currently the site feels a little disjointed with a mixture of different styles and standards. The development proposes that the building be a modern styling of materials common to the area and adjoining buildings. The shape is both aesthetically pleasing and functional which will give the Ipsen site a central focus. The building will have a clinical feel with the metal cladding and areas of curtain wall glazing.

“This is reflective of the Ipsen headquarters in Dublin and Paris which should improve both the Ipsen site and surrounding area.”

According to the document, the site will also move away from traditional ‘fortress style’ security methods such as security huts and palisade fences in favour of altering the designs of the building and landscape.

The development will not entail the creation of any new car parking spaces on site, the number of which is currently 336.

Already this year, Ipsen has invested £10m in the site and is on course to increase its workforce by almost one quarter to more than 400, many in highly-paid jobs.