Seaside town plans to demolish high street as local voices 'seagulls and smackheads' fears

A local council has submitted a demolition plan for a struggling UK high street, but locals fear the move could attract anti-social behaviour. Denbighshire council secured funds from both the previous UK Government and the Welsh Government to transform part of the town centre in Rhyl, a seaside town on Wales' northern coast.

Sections of the southern end of the high street have already been demolished after being deemed structurally unsafe. The local authority is now looking to demolish further buildings, which are unoccupied, to clear it for a new project.

They're keen to use some freed up space to build a "pocket park", a small area with green space and seating. An application has been submitted to the council's own planning department for the Gateway Pocket Park following a public consultation earlier this year, North Wales Live reports.

Renders of the plan shows the minature park with a small circular area with benches, surrounded by patches of grass and planting beds.

It will be lit by overhead street lighting, downlighting on the rear masonry, and ground level feature lighting at night. The proposed location is on the corner with Brighton Road.

However, concerns have been expressed locally about who will end up using it.

One person said it will "become another area for anti social behaviour" with another saying "seagulls and smackheads" will be the ones using as they mocked the idea, the news outlet reports.

A third said: "Absolute NO! More parks for drug users. Bring back something like the roller skating park for all ages to use."

Some have also questioned why the properties that remain aren't been revamped for retail and housing, or why modern attractive units haven't been built.

But others were positive about the impact it could have on the area, with one saying: "I actually like the concept of the pocket park. I think it is imaginative.

"The town centre has nothing like it. Hopefully people will see it as an asset. Places like these work in other towns."

Responding to feedback on the project, the council said: "It is important to note that the overwhelming majority of respondents who had constructive criticism of the scheme felt that anti-social behaviour was an issue to consider further.

"In line with this useful feedback the design was adjusted to raise the height of the front facing planting bed to reduce opportunity for fouling or damage to vegetation.

"In addition, we have also made plans to add additional CCTV to this area as part of this scheme."

In comments about the project itself, the local authority said: "The vision for the scheme begins with the Council purchasing the buildings that formerly constituted the site and making the decision to demolish part of them in 2022.

"This work was completed with the assistance of Welsh Government funding under their Transforming Towns Programme. We were legally required to demolish 123-125 High Street because they had become structurally unsafe and were at risk of collapse.

"Our strategy is to demolish the remaining buildings on the site and replace them with the pocket park.

"There has been great care and much consideration given to dealing with the buildings remaining on the site since the emergency demolition of 123-125 High Street.

"Notably, it was considered whether we could retrofit the remaining buildings and replace those demolished with new buildings.

"Ultimately, the decision was made not to opt for this strategy for the following reasons:

• It is not economically viable to refurbish the buildings due to lack of funding options.
• Demolition provides an opportunity to create a more attractive gateway to the town centre.
• In previous work carried out by Denbighshire County Council in Rhyl Town Centre, strong feedback was received concerning there not being enough pleasant public places to dwell.
• Rhyl town centre has the lowest level of 'canopy cover' (i.e. natural environment such as trees and plants) of almost any town in Wales. Creating a new space with plants and trees will go a long way to improving local biodiversity.
• Considering the context of the wider challenges faced by the UK high street, there is not a demand for new residential or retail premises in this location at this time.

Planners at Denbighshire council will consider the proposals.