Denbighshire County Council has taken an important step into the renovation of the Queen’s Buildings in Rhyl by appointing a contractor to begin demolition work.
Wye Valley Demolition will start on site from January 25th to demolish unsafe areas of the buildings and remove any remaining asbestos.
The contractor has worked with the Council on previous sites including the demolition of buildings on Queen Street.
After the Council took ownership of the Queen’s Buildings, a number of assessments made it clear a significant amount of the site would need to be demolished, due to structural damage from a combination of poor maintenance and weather damage over the years.
The iconic Queen’s Chamber will remain within the buildings and will be refurbished.
Cllr Hugh Evans OBE, leader of Denbighshire County Council and Lead Member for the Economy said: “The start of demolition work will mark another major step in the regeneration of the site.
“The Council wanted to retain as much of the buildings as possible, especially the walls of the Queen’s Market and the ornate ceiling, but as we have been working on the buildings since taking ownership, it has become clear they are beyond repair.”
Demolition will enable plans to transform the building into a vibrant mix of retail, food and beverage, contemporary market, office and residential space to move forward.
Cllr Hugh Evans OBE added: “The regeneration of Rhyl is a long-term project which will help benefit the economy throughout Denbighshire and the Queen’s Buildings form a vital part of that plan.”
The site contains multiple large buildings within a populated area, so during the demolition period to ensure the safety of the public, the Council will be closing footpaths along West Parade and Queen Street from the end of January.
Economy and North Wales Minister, Ken Skates said: “I’m pleased Welsh Government funding is enabling the next stage of the redevelopment of the Queen’s Buildings to be carried out. This is a great example of the public sector working collaboratively with its partners for the benefit of the area and will help create important employment and training opportunities. The project has huge potential to deliver a vital economic boost to the town.”
Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government Hannah Blythyn said: “The regeneration of the iconic Queen’s building is an important step in reinvigorating Rhyl town centre.
“This is where I announced the Transforming Towns programme in January 2020 and I remain committed to transforming buildings like the Queen’s building into community assets which will increase vibrancy and footfall in Welsh towns. It is good to see work progressing.”
There will be a temporary closure of one lane along Queen Street and the temporarily closure of Queen Street car park.
The suspension of on-street parking located next to Queens Building’s, both across West Parade and Queen Street is also necessary to ensure the area around the site is secure for the buildings to be taken down safely.
Work is anticipated to last up to six months, after which the development of the wider site is then expected to start, subject to planning approval.
The planning application for the next phase is expected to be submitted shortly.