A national fast food chain, bike hire shop, cafe, hotel and family pub are all getting set to come to Rhyl as a masterplan for the resort begins to take shape.
A proposal for a kite surfing school has also got the go-ahead and virtual designs have been unveiled for a new community green space.
Hundreds of jobs and training opportunities are expected to be created as part of the Rhyl Going Forward Programme.
Here we highlight 12 key regeneration plans for the town.
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1 Sun Centre
Closure-hit Rhyl Sun Centre was handed back to Denbighshire Council earlier this year after operators Clwyd Leisure went bust.
Since then, discussions have been held regarding the future of the iconic attraction and whether it could be reinstated as a water facility.
In recent weeks, council officers have met with developers who are keen to transform it into an indoor adventure activity centre.
Water park magnate and multimillionaire Mo Chaudry also visited the site along with his operational team to see if it is saveable, concluding that there was “no reason why the Sun Centre can’t be brought into the 21st century”.
Denbighshire Council say they are open to negotiations with interested parties. The local authority had initially intended to demolish it to make way for a multi-million pound aquatic centre further along the promenade.
At this stage, officers say they will consider a business case for both development opportunities.
2 Honey Club site
The former Honey Club has been demolished and a wrecking ball is set to swing into action on the burnt-out arcade next door to make way for a new 70-bedroom hotel and restaurant.
The council is working on the scheme with development partner Chesham Estates, and hotel chain Premier Inn are earmarked for the site – subject to contract.
Designs have already been drawn up and include a Brewers Fayre restaurant taking up the entire ground floor. The plans are expected to be submitted by the end of May with a view to construction starting this summer.
The move will create local jobs and training opportunities.
3 Leisure Zone
Authorisation has been granted for council officers to conduct an expression of interest exercise for the facilities along the Rhyl coastal strip, including the Children’s Village and Sky Tower.
Further talks about the proposed aquatic centre, earmarked for the existing skate park site on West Parade, will also happen during the summer with ideas for a 50 metre Olympic-sized pool ditched in favour of a 25m pool.
There are still aspirations to retain the Sky Tower and find alternative uses for it. Ideas already put forward include turning it into an “adrenaline ride”, an “interactive urban art feature” or a climbing tower.
National food chains are also being approached to take up occupancy at the Children’s Village.
Earlier this year, Tom Booty, Denbighshire Council’s economic and business development manager, said: “The council doesn’t have the money to build a new aquatic centre. But we are going to have discussions with the Welsh Government to see what level they might able to support that proposal. We are also going out to the market on a wider offer that will include the Children’s Village to see whether there’s some kind of partnership agreement we can get into with the private sector.”
4 West Residential Area
All eyesores and single bedsits have now been acquired by compulsory purchase order to make way for a £1.5m community green space. More than 40 buildings and houses of multiple occupation on Aquarium Street and Gronant Street have been knocked down and new family housing has been developed under the partnership between the council, Welsh Government, and Clwyd Alyn Housing Association.
The scheme, which has been referred to as a “neighbourhood park”, will be multifunctional, incorporating hard and soft landscaping, street furniture, lighting and CCTV.
Demolition of the green space area will be completed by the end of this month with bulldozing of the surrounding areas set to be finished by mid-May. The final submission for the construction of the green space is with the planning department, with a decision expected next month.
Subject to approval, construction of the park is set to start in July with a view to finishing the project by March next year, making an “informal space” where community events will be held.
Aquarium Street and Gronant Street will become one-way around the 100m long and 50m wide park.
More than 100 residents have been re-homed within the West Rhyl area, and historic properties or those located within conservation areas have been transformed into family homes.
The overall redevelopment scheme for West Rhyl has benefited from £23m worth of public investment.
Meanwhile, the vacant site on the corner of John Street and West Parade, which is owned by the Welsh Government, is up for offer and expressions of interest are to be requested at the end of this month.
Potential investors are being invited to submit proposals by June/July for a mixed use development which could include offices, retail or housing.
5 Marine Lake
A leisure operator pulled the plug on proposals for a cable-ski attraction on Marine Lake but planning consent still remains.
It is hoped the man-made reservoir will create more “open-air experiences” for tourists and clubs, and there has been interest in resurrecting the idea to tow wakeboarders and water skiers.
The swimming leg of Denbighshire’s first triathlon event was held at the lake last year and a second event will take place this summer.
6 Ocean Plaza
Twice-downsized plans for the derelict Ocean Plaza funfair site went on display in February. Scarborough Development Group have submitted an outline planning application with a revised retail and restaurant proposal.
Reasons cited by the company for the scale-back included the failure to reach an agreement with Denbighshire Council over the land transfer, as well as flooding issues that prevented them from building houses there as planned.
So what started out as an £85m plan in 2010 has since plummeted to £30m, with the new offer including a hotel, cafe, restaurant, pub, supermarket and shops – creating around 300 jobs. The plan also removes a chunk of land that was the former council car park site.
The commercial element of the plan is the same as it was in 2012 – a pub, 60-bed hotel, food retail and non-food retail. Retailers haven’t yet given any guarantees and won’t do so without valid planning permission, but developers say the pub and hotel operator are still on board.
If plans are approved, it is unlikely work will start this year due to lengthy planning and legal processes.
Rhyl funfair was demolished to make way for Ocean Plaza in 2007 but the site has lain empty ever since.
Meanwhile, Denbighshire Council have taken back the car park which is now open and free to visitors of the nearby harbour.
7 Foryd Harbour
Pont y Ddraig, the bridge which spans 80m over the River Clwyd, is now operational, linking to a network of new walking and cycling routes between Rhyl’s regeneration area and Kinmel Bay. Part of the £10m harbour regeneration plan, the new quayside building is about to be handed over to Better Bikes bike hire and cafe company Co-options. The facilities are set to be open in time for the Queen’s Baton Relay event at the end of May.
The development also incorporates a public square creating a “hub” for the harbour, surrounding dunes and beach areas as well as new quay walls with pontoon facilities and a full size slipway, together with a mooring pontoon in the channel for an additional 10 boats.
Pont y Ddraig (Dragon’s Bridge) closes the gap on 15 miles of traffic-free cycling across Conwy and Denbighshire. Earlier this year, work was delayed after 200m of copper cable was stolen from the site.#
8 Coastal defences
Coastal defence works have been carried out east of the harbour on the Denbighshire side of the river and a further phase of works is expected to take place towards Drift Park.
Construction is set to begin later this year and when finished will make the promenade area wider.
9 Hovercraft plans
Meanwhile, council officers have been in discussions with two interested parties keen to operate a hovercraft service linking Rhyl to the Wirral and Liverpool. Coastal team leader Mark Dixon said: “We have all the licences in place if either company wants to operate. We are waiting to hear from them but we are ready and willing to accommodate them.”
10 Kite surfing school
Elsewhere along the promenade, plans have been approved to transform a toilet block into a kite surfing school.
The loos to the rear of an ice cream kiosk on East Parade will become an office as well as training, changing and drying facilities for the town’s Pro-Kite Surfing School and Club.
11 Gateway to Rhyl
And the gateway into Rhyl via the train and bus stations has also seen improvement with the train station itself set for a facelift with an improved waiting area and toilets.
Nearby, the derelict Bee and Station Hotel has been transformed into offices and is also home to a LEGO Education Innovation Studio which teaches children technology, maths and engineering skills.
Talks are also in place with a national fast food chain to take over the former Costigan’s bar.
12 Rhyl High Street
In the High Street, plans are in the pipeline to make environmental improvements for pedestrians. Schemes are in place to encourage young people to open businesses in light of high street names MS and Next moving out of the town. A footfall camera outside PoundLand recorded a 35% increase on last year.
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