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Denbighshire's Chief Executive has given his support to a scheme that would breathe new life into Rhyl's West Parade, subject to confirmation of any impact on the council's revenue budgets.

A Renewal Area is being proposed for the West Parade, which would help improve the quality of life for residents and would provide a confidence boost in the local economy to encourage inward investment.

An assessment study has been carried out to establish the condition of the properties and the environment in West Parade.  The main finding showed that 10% of properties were owner occupied with almost 71% properties in the private rented sector.  Another factor was the low income of residents, with almost 80% earning less than £10,000 per year. This would indicate that the neighbourhood is likely to score very high on indicators of deprivation, especially when combined with poor housing conditions.

In 1992, the West Rhyl Renewal Area, one of the first Renewal Areas in Wales,  was set up by the former Rhuddlan Borough Council. The scheme ran for 10 years and proved very successful.  During this time, improvements were carried out to 914 properties in the area, as well as additional environmental improvements such as the construction of boundary walls and resurfacing of alleyways, a playground was developed at Vaughan Street and a multi- use sports pitch was built in John Street/Gordon Avenue.

The objectives of the proposed Renewal Area are:
• To improve the quality of life for residents by targeting homes in the poorest condition
• To support the continuation of an affordable housing market alongside a fuller choice of dwellings
• To restore and replace derelict property through enforcement and compulsory purchase where necessary
• To bring back underused or derelict sites
• To improve the environment through increasing the amount of green space in the vicinity
• To create population stability through the provision of housing, employment and training opportunities and through working with partners on mechanisms for tenancy support
• To improve the environment through tackling issues associated with refuse storage and disposal
• To improve opportunities for retail, other commerce and tourism by increasing confidence in this part of Rhyl.

Gareth Roberts, Denbighshire’s Principal Housing and Area Renewal Officer, said: 'In recent years it is clear that the Rhyl Going Forward Strategy has been the catalyst for much strategic activity.  Development is already ongoing in Rhyl or is committed to commence in the near future, such as improvements to the retail shopping centre, the Modus Ocean Plaza development, improvements to the harbour development and targeted action on West Parade itself.

“The actions within the renewal area aim to support the wider initiatives of the Rhyl Going Forward Strategy by improving investor confidence, protecting existing investment and improving the quality of life for local people.'