Notice given of planning application for apartments next to Royal Hotel

* The notice on the fencing next to the Royal Hotel.

A notice advising the public of the intention of a company to apply for planning permission to convert the extension to the Royal Hotel into 12 residential apartments has been posted nearby.

And it says the public are invited to have their say on the proposal.

The Grade II Listed hotel dating back to 1752, which stands on the corner of Castle Street and Bridge Street, has been closed since 2019.

In late 2022 Denbighshire County Council approved a planning application, submitted the previous March in the name of Matt Jones of MAVI Properties Ltd, to transform the Royal into a “destination hotel”.

The application allowed for the demolition of the original existing extension, the erection of a four-storey extension to the side and rear, including health spa, and additional hotel accommodation.

Now, a four-panel notice, with illustrations of various aspects of the plan, has been posted on the fencing between the extension and Riverbanc.

It says: “Notice is hereby given that Mavi Royal Ltd are intending to apply for a full planning application for conversion and extension of part of hotel to form 12 residential apartments.”

It goes on to explain that the development “offers a mixture of six one-bedroom and six two-bedroom apartments”.  

The notice adds: “The project involves separating the 1970 extension into apartments and keeping the original hotel as a hotel, bar and restaurant.”

The notice, in the name of Ruthin-based Ty Architecture, has been published, it says, under the Town and Country Planning Order for Wales, for publicity and consultation before applying for permission.

And it goes on: “The notice gives the opportunity to comment directly to the developers prior to the formal submission of the planning application to DCC. Any subsequent planning application will be published by the relevant LPA [local planning authority] and any comments provided in response to the notice will not prejudice your ability to make representations to the LPA on any related planning application. Any comments submitted may be placed on public file.”

The notice says that any comments on the proposal should be sent by post to: Ty Architecture, 15a Clwyd Street, Ruthin, LL15 1HF, or by email to: info@tyarchitecture.co.uk  by April 10, 2024.

It adds that the plans can be viewed at www.royalhotelllangollen.co.uk, or paper copies can be inspected at the architects’ address and that requests for email copies should be sent to: info@tyarchitecture.co.uk  

Llangollen councillor brands toilets cuts plan 'act of self-harm'

* Llangollen's public toilets in Market Street.

Denbighshire councillors have agreed to look again at a plan to dispose of all its public toilets in a bid to save around £200,000 a year in running costs. 

But at the council’s community scrutiny committee yesterday (Thursday) a package of measures aimed at examining the proposal in more depth put forward by Llangollen councillor Karen Edwards was rejected.  

Officers’ say the council needs to make savings as it faces an “unprecedented” financial challenge and the closure proposal is part of a corporate process to pinpoint cuts in the 2024/25 budget.

The provision of public conveniences (PCs) is a non-statutory duty. Many local authorities ceased providing this service many years ago.

Denbighshire currently has 20 toilet sites across the county, including Llangollen, none of which break even financially. 

The council aims to transfer as many of them as possible to other groups or organisations, such as city, town and community councils, so that they continue to operate but at no cost to DCC. 

At yesterday’s scrutiny committee Cllr Edwards made an impassioned plea for a closer examination of the proposal before it is allowed to go ahead.

She said: “We are all aware of the financial challenges facing this council and the tough decisions now being taken by the cabinet in its drive to balance the books in an era of diminishing financial settlements, increasing demand on services and inflation.

“In our previous meeting we made recommendations regarding mitigating the cuts to our library services. Our recommendations were not accepted by cabinet  but further work would be undertaken to identify alternative sources of funding.

“Perhaps the most important issue before us today is the proposal to close our public toilets or transfer responsibility for their operation to third parties. 

“This particular proposal has to be considered in the context of the council’s core policy objectives, one of which is the promotion of tourism to grow the regional economy. As we all know, tourism plays a vital part in Denbighshire’s economy with 6.03 million visitors in 2022. 

“In the case of the Llangollen ward that I represent along with Councillor Keddie, our town centre car park has a public convenience which is used in part by coach parties. Without this facility Llangollen will no longer be able to offer a convenient ‘relief stop ‘ for coaches and they may well cease to stop there. 

“Businesses in the town will suffer and the closure would therefore be an illogical act of self-harm. The car park in Market Street generated an income of £171,396.61 in 2022/23, this equates to 43% of DCC’s total income from car parks with public conveniences.   

“It is my understanding having spoken with the Llangollen Town Council clerk that it would be impossible for them to agree to take over the unsolicited financial liability of this property asset as  they have yet to be officially consulted and their precept for this forthcoming year was submitted to DCC last January. If the public conveniences were to close, there are no suitable alternatives.”  

She added: “There is mention within the report of the Community Toilet Scheme [by which businesses are paid a grant to allow the public to use their toilets] which has apparently been in existence for a number of years with very limited uptake - one I believe. You may argue the point that it hasn’t been widely publicised, but realistically unless this is proven to be an absolutely viable alternative, your sanguine approach is at best premature. 

“We have a tourism economy which is growing year on year, and the car parks of Llangollen are frequently filled to capacity by visitors during the whole year, not just the summer months. The toilets are an essential part of our public infrastructure to accommodate the needs of visitors to the town. 

“From a policy viewpoint there is no logic in closing such vital facilities if we continue to spend money marketing Denbighshire, as a means of generating more visitors - approximately £718,000. We should consider achieving savings by reducing marketing budgets as opposed to closing facilities. Public conveniences may well be a non-statutory obligation but neither is the marketing of this authority to promote tourism. 

“It is therefore unrealistic to propose the removal of the budget for public conveniences  in total as there will be on-going costs associated with de-commissioning these facilities, updating others, and retaining those considered to be essential in tourist hot spots.” 

Cllr Edwards proposed the committee make a recommendation for further consideration by the officers responsible for the proposal and that a further report be produced recognising that the budget for public conveniences  cannot be removed in its entirety and will identify: 

* The take-up of third-party management of toilets. 

* All costs of accommodation work prior to transfer, or decommissioning, and redundancies, if any 

* The on-going budget required to operate those toilets to be retained as essential tourist infrastructure.

* Revenue costs for retained toilets to be supported by savings made in the tourism marketing budget and a review of the charges made for the use of public conveniences.

Even though the decision to bring the plan back to the scrutiny committee was supported her proposal was rejected.

Popular sightseeing bus service returns to Dee Valley

The popular Dee Valley Picturesque bus service will be running again this year, providing access to some of the key destinations in this beautiful and historic landscape. 

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus service is a circular route which links Llangollen and the surrounding villages to popular local attractions including Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, Horseshoe Falls, Valle Crucis Abbey, Plas Newydd Historic House and the Horseshoe Pass. 

The hop on/hop off service will enable passengers to visit these key locations without the need of a car, making it easier for those without their own vehicle to access these places and helping to reduce congestion at some of the busiest sites in the Dee Valley. 

The service has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund in Wales, and delivered in partnership by Denbighshire County Council and the Our Picturesque Landscape project, a landscape partnership scheme which is working to conserve and improve access to the inspiring landscapes of the Dee Valley and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site. 

The all day 1Bws ticket provides great value for those wanting to take a sightseeing tour of the area, and this year the service will also offer tap on/tap off payments for shorter single trips, making it the ideal option for discovering some the area’s linear walks.

The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus Service 199 will operate Saturdays only from Saturday 30^th March – Saturday 30^th August 2024. For the full timetable and ticket prices please visit the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB website, Denbighshire bus timetable webpage, or pick up a leaflet from Llangollen Tourist Information Centre.

https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/projects/the-picturesque-bus/

https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/parking-roads-and-travel/public-transport/bus-timetables/bus-timetables.aspx

Hannah Marubbi, Partnership Officer for the Our Picturesque Landscape project, said: “We are delighted to bring back the Dee Valley Picturesque Bus Service for a fourth year.  The service saw record numbers of users last year and we hope that this season it will provide even more visitors and local residents with the opportunity to explore the wider area.”

Cllr Win-Mullen James, Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “The Dee Valley Picturesque Bus offers the perfect chance to explore the Dee Valley in comfort without the stress of having to plan to park at these fantastic locations around Llangollen.”

Latest events at Pengwern Community Hub

Half-term events happening at Pengwern Hub in Llangollen are:

... and the Hub's March timetable is:

 

Denbighshire cabinet to discuss £1.1m boost for care home fees

Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet will discuss the 2024/25 Care Home Fee increase at the next Cabinet Meeting, which will take place on March 19. 

The recommendation will be an increase of 8.8% for 2024/25.

Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care said: “The provision of care is at the heart of the Council’s priorities, and this is evidenced in our approved budget allocations for 2024/25, which prioritises protection for social care and education, despite the acute nationwide local government funding crisis.

"It’s within this context we’ve approached the issue of care fees with due diligence and prudence, recognising the need to balance challenging financial constraints with our commitment to prioritising care provision.

"We currently spend around £13 million on approximately 364 placements in 82 care homes. This constitutes a huge part of our Adult Social Care & Homelessness budget and totals 6% of the Council’s overall total net revenue budget.

"At our upcoming Cabinet meeting, I will be proposing an 8.8% increase in our care fees, following careful consideration of inflation and the Real Living Wage increase.

"If approved by Cabinet, our expenditure on care home fees will increase by around £1.1 million. Given that the proposed increase is substantially more than the modest 3.8% increase we’ve received in our settlement, this increase will significantly impact our budget at a time where savings targets loom large across various council services.

"However, whilst this decision comes with financial implications, it reflects our priorities as a council, and upholds our commitment to prioritising care provision in our community.

"We value our care providers in Denbighshire and remain committed to fostering an open and fair relationship with them. To this end, we consistently offer the opportunity for an ‘open book exercise’, where providers can openly share their financial information with us. This allows for a transparent discussion about the costs involved in delivering care services and helps ensure that public funds are being used efficiently.

"As Lead Member, I stand firmly behind this proposal, confident that it reflects our commitment to maintaining a sustainable future for the care sector in Denbighshire.”

Cavern's resident Beatles band to play at Town Hall

* Beatles Complete on stage.

* An audience in the Netherlands goes wild for the band.

A Beatles tribute band which has a residency at Liverpool's famous Cavern Club is heading for Llangollen in a couple of months time. 

Beatles Complete, who play at the iconic venue on Thursdays and Saturdays, have just started to venture out into theatres and will take to the stage at the Town Hall on Friday May 10.

They are known as the only tribute band that are similar in age to The Beatles when they first had their big break and the show is receiving wide acclaim throughout the UK. 

They began in 2020 with Max as George and Joe as Paul after Joe spotted an ad to start the band while purchasing a Hofner violin bass at his local music store. A year later, George, who is ex-LIPA, and Tom joined as John and Ringo.

The foursome were aged just 14 to 18 when they took to the stage at 2021’s International Beatle Week to make their debut both at the festival and as a band.  

Beatles Complete have performed at International Beatle Week for the last three years and are playing at the Pier Head in Liverpool in front of an estimated 10,000 people. 

All are big Beatles fans who grew up with parents who were also Beatles fanatics. 

They say that a combination of songwriting, musicianship and performance, live and in the studio, are the reasons for their love of Fab Four.

Some sample comments from their audiences are:

"These young boys are amazzzing. Must be seen"

"Absolutely Amazing fantastic show"

"Very talented musicians and vocalists. Brought back lots of memories from when I saw The Beatles on 7th December 1964 at the Apollo!' 

* Tickets are available from www.beatlescomplete.com Look for Tour Dates to find Llangollen.

Funeral details for well-known former postman

A man from Llangollen who was a well-known postman in the area for over 45 years has passed away. 

Doug Price – affectionately known as “Doug the Post” – used to live in West Street. 

He had two sons and four grandchildren. 

One of his sons, also called Doug, said of him: “He was very keen on shooting with a shotgun and beating. He was also the proud captain of the Ponsonby Arms darts team, who won quite a few trophies in the Llangollen darts league, and on watching Llangollen Football Club.” 

The funeral will be at noon on Thursday March 21 at Wrexham Crematorium.