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Saturday, February 19, 2022

New railway exhibition opens at museum


* Above and below: the railway exhibition at Llangollen Museum.

A Llangollen Railway volunteer is currently staging a new temporary exhibition in Llangollen Museum.

Entitled Along Lost Lines, the display is by Peter Dickinsonone of the founding members of the railway's Heritage Group.

It charts the history of the old railway line linking Ruabon with the coast at Barmouth. 

The exhibition includes a range of artefacts, posters and exhibits relating to the line. 

A dedicated section includes some original parts from Queen Victoria's Royal Train from 1897 which are being shown in public for the first time. 

The exhibition opens today (Saturday) runs until April 3. Entry is free.  

Currently, the museum will be open Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 11-4pm. 

The exhibition is a joint collaboration between the museum and the Llangollen Railway Heritage Group. 

Friday, February 18, 2022

Viaduct lane closure means extra traffic through Llan, county warns

Denbighshire County Council has issued the following warning on social media of a lane closure on the A483 viaduct due to Storm Eunice:  

𝗔𝟰𝟴𝟯 𝗗𝗲𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁

18 FEBRUARY @10.40AM
⛔There is currently a 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 on the A483 Dee Viaduct due to Storm Eunice.
⚠️A traffic management plan is in place to help manage the additional traffic diverted via Llangollen.
🚦 Traffic management contractors will manually operate traffic lights on Castle Street, Llangollen during today (Friday, February 18).
➡️ Castle Street will then temporarily open to two-way traffic between 5pm on Friday and the morning of Monday, February 21.


Storm Eunice - council's 10.30am Friday update

Denbighshire County Council continues to monitor the weather position as Storm Eunice is predicted to bring extremely strong winds to the region during the remainder of today (Friday)

A number of Council services have decided to change their arrangements, due to the strong winds forecast.

Libraries and One Stop Shop (County Hall):

In the interest of the safety of staff and visitors, it has been decided that all of Denbighshire’s libraries will remain closed on Friday.

The One Stop Shop at County Hall will also be closed on Thursday.

Waste and recycling:

The garden waste recycling service will not operate on Friday, due to the temporary closure of the composing site where we deliver most of the garden waste we collect.  This is down to the strong winds expected with Storm Eunice.  We’re asking garden waste customers NOT to put out their bin and present it on their next scheduled collection day in two weeks time.

However, the other waste and recycling services are due to take place as usual today.

Public transport:

Most public transport (bus) services are running as normal at the moment, but operators will make a decision if the weather situation deteriorates.

The T3 service (Barmouth –Wrexham via Corwen and Llangollen is not operating this morning, but may return this afternoon.

Severe Weather Emergency Protocol

This protocol was initiated yesterday.  It aims to prevent rough sleeping during extreme weather and provides emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.

This is additional targeted support to the ongoing work of our Homelessness Prevention Team.

No issues have been reported overnight.

Other developments include:

  1. Central car park in Rhyl has closed for the day.
  2. Rhyl TIC is closed for the day.
  3. The Nova Centre is closed for the day.
  4. Coastal public conveniences have closed.

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Waste and the Environment, said: “Our teams have been working hard to minimise the risk of disruption to residents and we’re in regular contact with the emergency services and Natural Resources Wales to gather as much information as we can to track the storm and its effects.

“The warnings state that Eunice is a severe storm and we want people to be as prepared as possible for its impacts. The main impact in Denbighshire is expected to be the wind and there are calls for people should stay away from coastal promenades  during the storm, for their own safety.

“We are monitoring the position hour by hour and we have teams on stand-by to deal with any issues caused by the storm and to try and keep our roads clear from debris, fallen trees and branches”.

The Council is urging residents to continue to monitor the weather forecasts and updates in the media and on social media for any storm related advice and information. The Council will publish updates on the impact of the storm on its website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk and on its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

MP visits Llan river restoration project

* Simon Baynes MP, left, with Joel Rees-Jones at the newly-restored stone access ramp in Llangollen. 

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes recently visited Llangollen to see the latest developments at the LIFE Dee River Restoration Project. 

Mr Baynes met with Joel Rees-Jones, the Project Manager from Natural Resources Wales, and visited the Llangollen site to learn more about the developments taking place as part of the Natural Resources Wales’ project. 

As part of the LIFE Dee Project, restoration work is taking place on the two weirs in Llangollen with the aim of improving conditions for threatened species such as Atlantic Salmon, Sea Lamprey and River Lamprey, by minimising the impact of physical barriers in the river and help these species build sustainable populations. 

The development has also provided an opportunity to help improve safety for paddle sports, as well as improving the stone ramp used for access to the River Dee near the downstream weir. 

The LIFE Dee River Project have also been working on similar projects across the catchment.  

The project also focuses on in-river restoration work, such as work recently completed on Brynkinalt Estate. 

Iain Hill-Trevor of Brynkinalt said: “The contractor has done an amazing job, the results are great, and the boost for the habitat of the river is really exciting.” 

Joel Rees-Jones, Project Manager of the LIFE Dee Project at Natural Resources Wales said: “The LIFE project is providing us with a great opportunity to work with partners across the Dee catchment to improve the conditions within the river for the species and habitats found there. We look forwards to seeing and sharing the positive results from the interventions carried out.”  

Mr Baynes said: “My recent visit to the LIFE Dee River Project was a wonderful insight into how the restoration work is going to benefit the local area and it was great to hear from Joel about the exciting developments taking place. 

"This is a positive step forward in ensuring conditions are improved for threatened species and will also improve safety for users of the river.”

The project is supported by the European Union LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity Programme, Environment Agency, Snowdonia National Park Authority and Dwr Cymru. 

Local appointments available to give blood

Local appointments are available to give blood.

* Follow the link for further details: https://wbs.wales/LlangollenTC

Fe allech chi achub 3 bywyd mewn un awr

Rhowch waed os gwelwch yn dda

https://wbs.wales/LlangollenTC

Thursday, February 17, 2022

County council urges people to take care during Storm Eunice

Denbighshire County Council is asking people to remain vigilant over the coming few days as Storm Eunice is expected to bring significantly strong winds to the county. 

The Met Office has issued an Amber warning from 5am on Friday February 18 through to 9pm on the same day. 

The extremely strong winds could cause extensive disruption, including flying debris, fallen branches and uprooted trees, damage to buildings and homes, power lines coming down, effects on roads, bridges and railway lines, as well as delays to public transport. 

The council’s teams have been carrying out gully checks across the county and external tree cutting teams are on stand-by to deal with any emerging issues. 

Discussions are taking place with the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency to put in place traffic management plans in the event Storm Eunice necessitates the closure of the A483 and A5  viaducts to the south of Wrexham.   

Traffic will be diverted via Llangollen should the viaducts be closed. In anticipation of this, traffic management contractors will manually operate traffic lights on Castle Street, Llangollen during the day on Friday, February 18. 

All schools in Denbighshire have been asked to move to remote learning on Friday, February 18 due to the amber warning for Storm Eunice and the significant strong winds predicted. 

This decision follows internal, regional and national discussions and has not been taken lightly. The decision has been taken to ensure the safety of all pupils, staff, parents and visitors to school sites. 

Councillor Brian Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways, Waste and the Environment, said: “We are working closely with partner agencies to do all we can to minimise the impact of Storm Eunice on services across the county. This storm has the potential to cause damage and we want to do all we can to keep people safe.

“We ask people to follow any advice issued by the Council, Natural Resources Wales or the emergency services and also ask people to keep an eye on the weather forecasts, the media and social media for the latest advice and information."

Residents are also advised to keep a record of the 105 Scottish Power number to report any power failures during the storm. 

The council will be updating its website: www.denbighshire.gov.uk, as well as Facebook and Twitter accounts with any council related information.

Number of extra homes created in Llangollen since 2017

* An example of the affordable homes built in the last five years. 

More than 1,000 additional homes have been created or brought back into use in the past five years in Denbighshire - with 23 of these in Llangollen.

Denbighshire County Council has helped deliver 394 affordable homes, worked in partnership to develop two extra care facilities providing more than 100 homes, delivered 34 additional council homes while 695 empty homes in the private sector have been brought back into use.

Additional properties have been provided in communities right across Denbighshire - including Llangollen, Rhyl, Prestatyn, Dyserth, Rhuddlan, Cefn Meiriadog, Trefnant, Meliden, Denbigh, Ruthin, Gellifor, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd, Corwen and Llandrillo – including the first brand new council homes to be designed and built for the Denbighshire area in 30 years.

Below is a breakdown of the homes created in Llangollen since 2017:

Year

Units

Tenure

Provider

2017-18

1

Intermediate Rental

Grŵp Cynefin

 

12

Social Rent (RSL)

Grŵp Cynefin

 

1

Council Buy Back

DCC

2018-19

Nil

 

 

2019- 20

5

Intermediate Rental

North Wales Housing

2020 – 21

2

Supported Accommodation

DCC/Wales & West

2021- 22

2

Intermediate Rental

North Wales Housing

Total

23

 

 

 

The council’s work was carried out under the Housing priority as part of its Corporate Plan 2017-2022, which set the direction and ambitions for the authority for the past five years.

Cllr Tony Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities, said: “The council has carried out a wide range of work on improving and creating housing for the needs of our residents.

“We set ourselves ambitious targets under our housing priority and we have exceeded many of these, helping to ensure there are more homes across the county for our residents.

“As a council we recognise the need to ensure housing is available to meet the needs of Denbighshire residents, and affordable housing is an essential part of this, so we can retain and attract young people to live in the area.

“The affordable housing created is a mix of social housing, intermediate rental, and home ownership through shared equity, rent to own options and private developments.”

Two extra care facilities have been developed in partnership with Grwp Cynefin at Awel y Dyffryn, Denbigh, opening in February this year, and Llys Awelon, Ruthin, due to open next year.

These developments will see 70 extra self-contained homes in Denbigh and 35 in Ruthin which give residents a balance between living at home and having on-site, dedicated care available if needed.

A total of 34 additional council homes have been delivered since 2017 and this includes new builds, conversions and the purchase of properties.

Further developments of new energy-efficient council homes are underway in Denbigh, Dyserth and Prestatyn with 45 new properties due to be completed this year, with work starting on a further 59 new council homes during 2022.

The council has made a number of improvements to the homes of council tenants which includes installing 1,100 new heating systems, 465 new roofs, 325 new windows, 125 air source heat pumps, 775 kitchens and bathrooms while 2,550 properties have also been externally painted. 

Nearly £2million has been invested on neighbourhood improvements for council tenants, including 17 new play areas.

Other work as part of the housing priority included the successful resettlement of 20 Syrian families under the UK Resettlement Scheme.

The council has contacted owners of empty homes and helped encourage renovation or matched them with developers, with a view to bringing them back into use on the housing market.

A total of 695 empty homes have been brought back into use to date, exceeding the council’s target of 500 between 2017 and 2022.

The council has launched its Housing & Homelessness Strategy to co-ordinate its work to ensure everyone is supported with pride to live in homes that meet their needs and to end homelessness in Denbighshire.

The aims of the strategy include providing more housing, ensuring housing is of good quality, supporting people with their housing issues, addressing homelessness and supporting communities. 

This includes developing our approach to homelessness by providing even more of our own emergency and temporary accommodation with onsite support and renewing the focus on early intervention to prevent homelessness, with a model of rapid rehousing at its heart.

Cllr Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, said: “Supporting the creation of so many new homes has taken a considerable amount of work to achieve and has involved sound financial planning. 

"We have taken advantage of a wide range of funding grants and affordable homes have been built by private developers and in partnership with Welsh Government and registered social landlords, with the Council managing the Social Housing Grant programme, which has enabled the building of the majority of affordable homes in the county.

“We will be continuing to build on this success and provide more affordable homes in our communities which is part of our ongoing work to retain more young people in Denbighshire as well as ensuring there is adequate housing for the needs of all our residents.”

* You can find out more about the Corporate Plan 2017-2022 here www.denbighshire.gov.uk/corporate-plan-ambition-achievements