The team behind the scheme to improve links between the four famous ‘highways’ that run through the heart of the town explained the £1.25m plan to an online local audience yesterday (Thursday) evening.
Following a successful application to the UK Government’s Levelling Up
Fund (LUF) Denbighshire County Council aims to enhance the public spaces that
connect Llangollen Canal, the old Ruabon to Barmouth Railway line, the River
Dee and A5 Holyhead Road.
As the first phase of a public consultation
exercise four members of the project team – the council’s project managers Sian
Lloyd Price and Kimberley Mason along with design expert Daniel Smith and
landscape specialist Chris Brinnington from consultancy firm Burroughs & The Urbanists - held three separate half-hour Microsoft Teams sessions yesterday.
The first for local residents attracted around 10 participants, about
four businesses were at the second and the third, for everyone else, was
attended solely by llanblogger’s Phil Robinson.
The aims of the sessions, according to the team, were to Introduce themselves, give an update on what had been
done so far and detail the next steps.
Total budget
for the project, which has received substantial help from Levelling Up, is
around £1.25m and work is expected to be completed by March of 2024, they said.
They also
pointed out that this was a new project and not an extension of the Castle
Street works or any other on-going developments in Llangollen.
It is based
on an initial concept design developed several years ago, which includes lots
of ideas but is not a final design or plan, giving flexibility around what its
final appearance.
Although no
work has yet started, site information gathering has commenced, including conversations
with landowners and technical specialists to understand what may be possible at
each of the sites involved.
The team
explained that there will be public realm improvements covering a total of 960
square meters within the area around the Wharf, the Railway and Lower Dee Mill
Park.
Improvements
near the Wharf will include seating and signage along with aiming for better
access, which might mean improvements to the steep flight of steps up from the Abbey
Road side.
At Lower Dee
Mill Park, which the team said feedback from the public has shown to be an under-used
natural asset, the proposal is to provide new seating with, potentially, “other
activities such as play,” they explained. There will also be new signage.
Another aim
is to improve signage around the station area.
The team
stressed that details of the project’s design have not yet been finalised,
adding that “nothing is off the table”.
Residents,
businesses and other interested parties are being invited to share their ideas,
either online, in person or in writing
A face-to-face
meeting in the town centre with project managers is due to be confirmed in the
next couple of weeks for those unable to attend the online sessions.
A questionnaire
will be launched on Denbighshire’s engagement portal, County Conversations, and
will also be available from Llangollen Library from next week. This will be
promoted on our social media and information regarding the consultation will be
also displayed on a poster to be distributed around Llangollen from next week.
* Anyone with further questions, comments or concerns are asked to email Kimberley Mason and Sian Lloyd Price, Project Managers, at: fourgreathighways@denbighshire.gov.uk
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