Your view needed on changes to the boundaries of Rhyl Conservation Area

The Council has reviewed Rhyl Conservation Area and is proposing some changes to the boundaries.  We are currently consulting on these proposals, which are outlined further below.

A Conservation Area is an area ‘of special architectural or historic interest, the character or appearance of which is desirable to preserve or enhance’

A conservation area designation is a way that a local authority can add an extra layer of planning control, to help protect areas which are valued for their special architectural or historical interest. The aim of Conservation Area Legislation is to preserve and enhance areas of our historic environment that hold value to the people that interact with them, in order that they are enjoyed by this and future generations.

Rhyl is a planned Victorian seaside town containing many Victorian and Edwardian buildings. Although it has been the subject of much alteration over the years in the form of inappropriate, low-quality buildings of unsympathetic design, there is still much to be celebrated in Rhyl.

Originally there were two separate Conservation Areas designated in central Rhyl with St Thomas Conservation Area designated in 1988 and Queen Street/Crescent Road Conservation Area designated in 1992. In 2007 it was decided to review both Conservation Areas in central Rhyl and combine them into one larger conservation Area.   The current Conservation Area covers a broad area of Rhyl Town Centre from Abbey Road in the east to Bath Street in the west and from West Parade in the north to the railway station in the south. We decided that the Rhyl Conservation Area would benefit from a review as it was felt some areas had lost their character and it was a large area to manage.

The review recommended four main changes to Rhyl’s Conservation Area boundaries. In summary, they are:

1. Extend the North-Eastern boundary to include the upper areas of Bath Street and Morlan Park.
2. Remove the Premier Inn Development Site, Harkers Amusements and the Queen Street Development Site.
3. Include the former Regal Cinema.
4. Exclude the Coach Park/Proposed Car Park on Crescent Road and redraw boundary to exclude 20-30 and 11-23 Edward Henry Street.

We are proposing to change Rhyl’s Conservation Area boundaries in line with these recommendations and public consultation on the proposed changes will finish on 2^nd November 2018.

Comments on the proposed changes to Rhyl Conservation Area should be sent in writing to The LDP Team, Strategic Planning and Housing, Denbighshire County Council, PO Box 62, Ruthin, LL15 9AZ or can be made online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk or by email to planningpolicy@denbighshire.gov.uk before 5pm on 2^nd November 2018.