Rhyl regeneration: Firms interest in new leisure facilities

Nine developers have expressed an interest in transforming Rhyl's coastline leisure facilities, say Denbighshire council.

The companies will be expected to secure private funding to pay for the redevelopment of facilities like the closed Sun Centre pool on the seafront.

The council said it is willing to consider proposals involving any of its land or property in the resort.

Rhyl Sun Centre closed earlier this year due to funding concerns.

It shut along with Prestatyn's Nova Centre and the North Wales Bowls Centre when the trust running them ran out of cash.

In 2001, the council set up Clwyd Leisure to run the facilities on its behalf.

However, the council's cabinet decided to withdraw financial support of £200,000 for 2014/15 and Clwyd Leisure ceased trading in February resulting in the closure of the three sites.

The authority set a Friday deadline for companies to come forward with ideas to develop facilities along the promenade from Marine Lake which includes the site of a miniature railway and boating lake to Splash Point at the opposite end of the resort.

A multimillion pound project has seen rundown properties demolished in the resort as part of the council's bid to regenerate Rhyl.

And last year the £4.3m bridge opened at Rhyl harbour providing a traffic-free cycle and footbridge to Towyn and beyond.