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Can the seaside town persuade developers to return it to its former glory? Claire Robson assesses a plan to transform Rhyl's leisure offer
Denbighshire county council is seeking a development partner to redevelop property holdings along Rhyl promenade and is shortlisting parties with proposals for leisure facilities along the coastal strip from Marine Lake to Splash Point.
"Rhyl's leisure assets are in need of investment and we want a partner to reinvigorate the town as a seaside destination," says the council's head of communications, marketing and leisure, Jamie Groves. "We've had a good response, which demonstrates the confidence of the private sector."
The council has received nine expressions of interest and hopes to have selected a development partner by the end of January 2015.
Although Groves is open to new ideas, he is keen to see the development of an aquatic centre and will look at proposals for other facilities, including Rhyl's 240ftSky Tower, children's village, bowling greens, boating lake and events arena.
Since its heyday as a UK holiday destination in the 1960s and 1970s, Rhyl has suffered a chronic decline. As Brits discovered the wonders of cheap foreign travel, the town began to lose its appeal and the scourge of drugs and deprivation saw west Rhyl ranked as the most deprived ward in Wales.
Its leisure assets have...