Rhyl aims for return to waterpark heyday

Proposals to bring a new £15m waterpark to the seaside town, once loved for its Sun Centre, which was demolished last year, have been approved by members of Denbighshire County Council.

There will be a 12,000 sq ft indoor water space with flume rides, a children’s water play areas and party rooms. Outdoors, there will be two “splash pads”, sun lounger areas, beach changing huts and café bar terraces.

The development will create 60 new jobs and is forecast to attract 350,000 additional visitors to the town every year.

The proposals were drawn up with Alliance Leisure, Denbighshire’s leisure development partner.

The town’s skate and paddling pool will be relocated. More formal swimming facilities will remain at Rhyl Leisure Centre

A planning application will now follow, with a decision expected in the summer. If approved, construction work will begin in the autumn and the new facilities will be open in early 2019.

Elsewhere in the North Wales town, which has suffered years of economic decline and lack of investment, Neptune Developments is the council’s delivery partner for the wider development of the waterfront area. Proposals include refurbishment of the Pavilion Theatre, a Travelodge hotel and Marstons pub and refurbishment of the iconic 240ft Sky Tower, decommissioned as a ride in 2015.

The Sun Centre has already been demolished, work on re-modelling the Pavilion Theatre and creating a new car park to the east of the Pavilion is currently underway and work is due to begin shortly on transforming the Sky Tower into a light beacon.