Rhyl harbour development gets £150k boost

A £150,000 grant has been provided by the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm Tourism Fund towards the £9.9m development of Rhyl Harbour.

The redevelopment of the harbour has to date been funded by Denbighshire County Council, Sustrans, and the Welsh Government, including money from the European Regional Development Fund.

The flagship project is designed to ensure that a working harbour and maritime service can continue to operate for years to come, helping to retain the existing tourism provision and providing new business and leisure opportunities for the future.

Work on an 80 metre cycle and foot bridge, which will span the harbour, is set to be completed in December along with a project for new quay walls, a public square and a quayside building creating a hub for the harbour, the surrounding dunes and beach areas.


Other facilities forming part of the development include a café, public toilets, a meeting room and an office for the harbour estate.

Capita Symonds was appointed by Denbighshire County Council to prepare a design for the scheme and to manage the planning and consents process.

The contractor is Daniel Contracting.

The grant comes from a £690,000 fund provided by RWE npower renewables, which is building the wind farm off the coast of North Wales.

It is designed to support initiatives aiming to boost the local tourist industry.

RWE npower has also given practical support to the project, providing a specialist vessel to help install a new navigation buoy at the mouth of the deep water channel into the harbour.

The Gwynt y Môr Tourism Fund is available to tourism projects identified by both Denbighshire and Conwy councils throughout the offshore construction of the wind farm.

Two projects – new fenders for Llandudno Pier and an access ramp to Rhyl Beach – have already received funding.

Gwynt y Môr project director Toby Edmonds said: "The Tourism Fund is providing a substantial grant to enhance the quality and aesthetics of features at the harbour and for interpretation boards around the site.

"In addition, our services were requested to assist with the installation of a new fairway buoy at the entrance to the harbour.

"We chartered a vessel which has worked on Gwynt y Môr previously to assist with the works.

"The fairway buoy is now installed and will provide crucial navigation for maritime visitors to Rhyl.

"The Tourism Fund is being divided equally between Denbighshire and Conwy and further projects to benefit from awards will be announced later this year."

Council Leader Hugh Evans said: "Working with RWE npower renewables has provided us with opportunities to develop an ambitious project with confidence and with thanks to a generous contribution from the Gwynt y Môr Offshore Windfarm Tourism Fund.

"Working in partnership has made a significant impact on Rhyl and we welcome their involvement with projects such as this."