ConwyCounty Borough Council – Bay Life Projects

Proposals

ColwynBay Waterfront–Improvement Works to the public realm areas of the seafront

Conwy County Borough Council is embarking on a project to revitalise the waterfront of ColwynBay. The 3.6km long promenade is unique in its character, access advantages and seascapeviews and is a cornerstone of a comprehensive physical regeneration plan for the town of ColwynBay. Major engineering improvements are proposed for the coastal defences, work which willprovide the opportunity for both parallel and incorporated works to improve the public realm areasof the seafront and create a quality coastal environment.

ColwynBay was a prosperous community with thriving tourism and retail sectors and likemany other seaside towns, the growth of the foreign holiday market led to a decrease invisitors and subsequent decline in tourist infrastructure. The construction of the A55 expressway through the town in the 1980’s accelerated decline by reinforcing the physical barrier between the town centre and waterfront, andremoving through traffic from the town centre. Despite its physical effect on the town, theimproved A55 should be an advantage in that travel time by road from densely populatedregions of North West England and the Midlands has been greatly reduced.

To create a sense of place with a distinctive seafront quality and character.

To Co-ordinate a design concept for the streetscape, promenade, sea defences, buildings andsoft landscaping. Both contemporary and traditional architectural styles may beconsidered on the condition that the design concept is visually sustainable and will notappear dated for a reasonable lifecycle. It is also our intention to improve the practical and visual links from the waterfront to the Town Centre and EiriasPark.

This scheme will provide a variety of public spaces, routes and buildings for multiple user categoriesincluding:

• Traditional family beach ‘bucket and spade’ outings

• Cycling – NCR 5 and local informal use

• Walking – both on promenade and beach at lower tides

• Personal watercraft – a major tourism growth area

• Sailing and other non-powered boat activities

• Road users – through traffic

• Parking – one of the few locations with a sea view from a parked vehicle

• Fishing

• Dog walking

The scheme will develop the role of the seafront as a venue for recreation and staged events by creatingfocused activity areas with complementary quiet zones.

It will also ensure the space is physically accessible and enjoyable for people with disabilitiesincluding both the visually and physically impaired.

Crucially the design is to incorporate harmonious transition with proposed new Streetscape works for the town centre, particularly Station Road, Sea View Road and the Station Forecourt area and will use high quality, robust materials that are durable in a hostile marine environment.

ColwynBayTown Centre Improvements

The scheme follows on from the first major phase of the comprehensive upgrading of the streetscape in the centre of the town, covering the key shopping streets of Station Road and Sea View Road and the principal gateway entrance to the town centre from the A55 Expressway. The current scheme proposal now brings Penrhyn Road and Station Forecourt, both key Town Centre shopping areas, to the same standard as previous schemes.

Penrhyn Road is a key Town Centre shopping area running parallel with the main pedestrian street, Station Road. Including a range of retail outlets Penrhyn Road also has other business sectors, specifically a number of Banks and Building Societies. With concept designs for Penrhyn Road already in place and to keep in line with other areas of the town Penrhyn Road would benefit greatly from this enhancement transforming its tired appearance. It is a busy one-way road linking the northern through road (Abergele Road) to the southern Princes Drive with poor pedestrian facilities and a neglected appearance.

The station was remodelled in the early 80's to facilitate the construction of the A55. The layout and finishes are uninviting and less than satisfactory. As well as serving the station the area provides a gateway to a main pedestrian access route to the promenade. The present layout and access arrangements involve tortuous movements for vehicles and pedestrian facilities are poor. In particular, disabled people are not well served.

It is also worth noting the importance of the Station Forecourt in its link with both the Town Centre and the Promenade. By providing this seamless link we will also be opening up the visitor attraction to the promenade by linking the scheme to any development made along the waterfront. Currently both the Railway line and A55 are seen as barriers to the Promenade, a barrier that we will be addressing within this scheme.

The area is in need of renewal both to reflect its current and potential usage and also to introduce a more appropriate palette of materials. This palette is in line with previous phases of the project throughout the town centre and creates a more attractive environment and ambience, thus improving community perceptions and raising business confidence.

The scheme, will involve the complete replacement of the floorscape materials and street furniture, introducing a simpler design concept to reflect the original function of the roads. The design will make provision for the later introduction of art features. These will be linked to paving material patterns incorporated into the floorscape.

The enhancement will include high quality materials with rich colours and textures and planting of trees throughout. New street furniture will include lighting columns, litterbins, signposts, seats, Bus shelters making the streets more attractive and easier to use. Improved lighting levels will also make the street feel safer and improve CCTV coverage.

2.6 Stakeholder Consultation

August 2005

Developing the vision, themes and objectives

To develop the vision which encapsulates the aspirations of the town, a 'visioning' day was held to develop the overall direction of the project, its key themes and priorities. Key stakeholders were invited from a range of organizations and backgrounds and together they developed the following vision for ColwynBay

ColwynBay – a town to be proud of

‘A thriving, attractive and vibrant town that is welcoming, safe and friendly; a place with unique character that people are proud to live in’

October 2005

Public Consultation Day

The visioning day was followed by a public consultation day to ascertain local people's views about the vision and priorities of the project. This event was extremely well attended with 434 local people participating.

89% of participants supported the overall vision and there was overwhelming agreement with the themes and priorities. (97%)

Additionally, the public was invited to make comments about each theme and also to suggest improvements for the physical aspects of the town. (Further details of the Public Consultation October 2005 are available from the Bay Life Initiative Development Officer)

The business community was engaged via the Chamber of Trade and the findings of these consultations were combined with the results of previous surveys to guide the project team in developing project proposals.

November 2005 – July 2006

Project selection

During this period, the seven working groups met regularly to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in ColwynBay and to produce a list of potential projects to achieve the vision, priorities and goals of each theme. These recommendations were submitted to the Executive Board for prioritization in terms of desirability, achievability and timescales.

Performance Measurement Framework

To complement the development process, Wavehill consulting was appointed in early 2006 to assist the partners involved with the Bay Life Initiative to develop a Performance Measurement Framework (PMF) that will measure the impact and effect of the Bay Life Initiative projects.

July 2006 onward

Community, business and voluntary sector surveys

In order to maintain continuous communication with the people of ColwynBay and to establish a baseline for the Performance Measurement Framework, business, community and voluntary group information was gathered through telephone interviews. Information from local people was gathered through a mixture of on-street surveys conducted by a team of trained, local volunteers, and from questionnaires that were completed by members of the public who attended an Information Day held in the Bay View Shopping Centre on Saturday 10th June 2006.

In total, 200 businesses, 37 voluntary organisations and 368 local residents took part in this survey and valuable information was gathered regarding peoples’ perceptions of the key issues affecting ColwynBay. (Further information is available from the Bay Life Initiative Officer). This information has been used as a baseline for the Performance Measurement Framework described above.

Project Development Teams were established in order to examine the project proposals in more detail and to draw up recommendations for actions. These proposals were scored and prioritised according to impact on key issues, and are included within the Bay Life Development Plans project matrix.

2.8 Beneficiaries

The following table details who the key beneficiaries of the ? project are perceived to be and how they stand to benefit from the scheme:

Beneficiary / Benefits
Local Residents /
  • Better quality of life;
  • Enhanced sense of community;
  • Increase employment opportunity;
  • Creation of a safer community;
  • Healthy living opportunities (walking & cycling routes.

Local Businesses /
  • Enhanced opportunities, due to increased tourism and local spend in the area;
  • Improved and enhanced transport linkages;
  • Increased opportunity for investment;
  • Reduced vacancy rates within town centres;

Visitors to the area /
  • Improved facilities;
  • Improved image of the area

The wider community /
  • Increase in tourism investment and spend;
  • Improved and enhanced transport linkages;
  • Greater employment opportunities;
  • Visual and landscape improvements.

Local Organisations /
  • Communities First Partnerships;
  • Local Events;
  • Local tourism and heritage groups;
  • Town Councils

2.9 Project Structure, Management and Development Process

The project will be delivered by Conwy County Borough Council through the Bay Life Initiative which has a significant track record and experience of managing and delivering similar projects. The Bay Life Structure along with the County Council has a wide range of relevant expertise and capability within its staffing structure. The project management arrangements will be based on the experiences and lessons learnt from managing large projects within both the Town and County previously. Overall progress and arrangements for these proposals will be monitored by both the authority’s policies and procedures as well as the bay life’s own Programme Structure.

Project structure

The purpose of this structure is to bring together the ideas of ColwynBay’s community and other stakeholders to deliver a range of projects which will help ColwynBay to achieve its vision for the future.

To ensure that the action plan meets this need, the following development process was used.

A project structure was established to develop the action plan, including a Project Management Board, an Executive Board, seven Working Groups, and a Project Coordinator. The team consisted of individuals with the experience and commitment to take the project forward. Many team members lived, worked or ran businesses in ColwynBay and all were key stakeholders in its future. (See separate sheets for Structure)

Roles and remit

Working groups

Each of the seven working groups focused on an individual theme to generate effective, practical and sustainable initiatives designed to provide measurable benefits to the Colwyn Bay Regeneration area.

The objective was to identify key issues for each theme and produce a range of documented proposals to provide solutions over the timescale of the plan.

The individual themes were;

  • Transport and environment
  • Employment
  • Business
  • Housing and building
  • Education and skills
  • Crime and disorder
  • Health and wellbeing

Two important issues, social inclusion and image and identity were seen as cross cutting themes.

Executive Board

The Executive Board consisted of the chairs of each working group, plus representation from both the Town and County Councils. Chaired by the Project Coordinator, this group’s responsibility was to draw together the ideas and identify cross cutting themes, potential risks and to prioritise projects prior to recommendations to the Project Management Board.

Project Management Board

The role of the Project Management Board was to oversee the work of the Executive Board and working groups, ratify, amend and approve recommendations and provide resources when appropriate.

Project Coordinator

The role of the Project Coordinator was to liaise between partners and act as the central point of contact to the Working Groups, Executive Board and Project Management Board, ensuring that communications were ongoing and in line with the objectives of the Initiative. Other responsibilities were to assist with project development, co-ordinate public consultations, facilitate the drafting of the plan and act as the public face of the Bay Life Initiative.

3.1 Need and Demand

ColwynBay is the second largest urban settlement in North Wales with a population of approximately 24,500. The town is set on a narrow coastal plain with a backdrop of woods and hills and overlooking a wide bay. Most of its early built environment was constructed in the period 1875 – 1900 with additional growth in later years taking place on the periphery.

This regeneration plan concentrates on the older core of the town, stretching from EiriasPark in the east, to the West End junction with the A55. Inland the zone reaches just north of Old Highway.

Until the late 1950s ColwynBay was a prosperous community with thriving tourism and retail sectors, but along with other traditional seaside resorts it has been severely affected by the foreign holiday market. Many properties originally built for wealthy families, and later used as hotels and guest houses have been converted into houses of multiple occupancy leading to an influx of benefit seekers and a transient, unbalanced community. In 1985 the A55 Expressway was opened, cutting a swathe through the town, and instead of bringing much needed investment it increased the isolation of the town from its promenade, further reducing retail trade.

The town now demonstrates stark contrasts between the relatively high value residential areas in UpperColwynBay and the run down Town Centre. Ideally the town would cater for demographic mix but instead offers few attractions or facilities particularly for its more affluent residents. This results in an unappealing prospect to potential private sector investors and a general decline in the town.

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Because of the vulnerable economic base there has been relatively little investment in the town, resulting in an air of neglect. There is an above average number of empty retail units (28 out of a total of 214 units in the town centre area are currently unoccupied) and there is an increased drift downmarket with 13 operated by charities.

However, following extensive consultation with residents, businesses, visitors and voluntary organisations it is obvious that ColwynBay has enormous potential and several significant advantages. Unfortunately the barriers existing in the town prevent it from exploiting these opportunities and the risk of a downward spiral becomes more acute than ever:

The Bay Life Initiative Development plan was approved by Conwy County Borough Council in June 2007 and builds on the foundations provided by the Colwyn Bay Regeneration Strategies 2001-2006. It was recognized at the outset that the key to developing the vision, themes and objectives of the plan, would be to engage with as many interested parties as possible in order to understand their views. To ensure this objective was met, the following development process was implemented.

Communities First

The wards of Glyn(2) and Rhiw(3), central ColwynBay, appeared in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation indicators in 2005 with rankings of 163rd and 131st respectively. In the 2008 index the rankings were 44th and 143rd respectively. This further emphasised the need for regeneration.

6 & 7 Financial Profile tbc

11. Post Funding

As with previous projects of this nature and in keeping with the policies and procedures of Conwy County Borough Council a Business Case will be submitted through the Local Authorities processes to ensure costs for the maintenance of all areas will be covered. These costs will include and trees, bedding, planting, road cleansing, Street lighting etc.