When the weather was nice there was always plenty to do outside. And when it wasn’t, Rhyl’s arcades, shops and clubs offered a welcome alternative. Locals lament that there is no alternative for today’s visitors, rain or shine.
When Mark Chesterton opened his new vintage fashion store in July 2022, he was living his dream. This week, as he stared eagerly at the store and waited for customers, he shared two photos online that struck a chord in the city.
They showed deserted streets at what should have been a busy time – 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24. He wrote: “We are usually full of customers at this time of year. This street is usually full of traffic and people walking by. Last July was a record month for us. How are independent businesses supposed to carry on?”
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Flaunt It Vintage on Bodfor Street sells retro and sustainable clothing from the 1950s to today. It’s close to the city’s bus and train stations, just a minute’s walk from the High Street – but sometimes it can feel like you’re in another world.
It is in an area where takeaways, hairdressers and tattoo parlours have sprung up amongst the shops. From here it is just a seven-minute walk to the beach. Train arrivals used to catch tantalising glimpses of the sea from the High Street. Now, locals say, all that is left is a “concrete wall” where seaside attractions were built and have since closed.
“Everywhere is quiet,” sighed Mark. “There’s no reason to come to Rhyl. Last Saturday there was nobody in the shop, which is unheard of, and today it’s deserted again. It’s awful, absolutely awful.”
“I spoke to a lady who walks up the road and has been in her business for 11 years. She said she had never seen it this bad. We have had quiet times before but the situation now is ridiculous. It is the same in Prestatyn and Abergele. Towyn is the busiest – because it has entertainment.” Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
Austerity has hit towns and cities across the UK, but sometimes it seems that seaside resorts have been hit particularly hard. The weather hasn’t helped, nor has the return of overseas tourism. In Wales, problems have been exacerbated by cuts to local government, and in Denbighshire, rubbish bag proliferation has occurred after failed attempts to reform its waste collection service. Visitors are said to be confused by speed limit rules.
When it seems things can’t get any worse, in Rhyl it feels like they invariably do. The Sun Centre is long gone and the storm-damaged SC2 water park is closed all year round. And to make matters worse, the 2024 Rhyl Air Show has been cancelled.
Even when money is invested in new facilities, things don’t always go to plan. In April, a three-year protection order was imposed on public spaces for the third year in a row, but residents grumble that drunks and rowdies are rarely turned away. And businesses continue to close.
On social media, one shop owner expressed her condolences for Mark. “We feel the same, it’s dead to us too.” A toy shop recently opened in the town and “hardly anyone” came in, she added. One local resident said this was hardly surprising. “Why go to Rhyl when everything is in one place in Prestatyn and everything is boarded up in Rhyl?” he asked.
The owner of a crystal shop and healing center is in the same boat. “There are no customers this year,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with referrals. But if this was just walk-in business, I’d be broke.”
In a town centre in trouble, there are said to be more traffic wardens than street cleaners. Rhyl, said one local woman, has become a “ghost town”. The town is far from alone in its plight – residents point to parallels with places like Bangor and Holyhead – and there is a faint hope that the misery may only be temporary.
Overshadowing everything at the moment is the £69 million Central Rhyl seafront protection project. A section of the promenade is closed until autumn 2025 and cranes, lorries and diggers provide a constant background noise. A new beach access ramp is nearing completion which, when opened, should at least provide improved beach access from the High Street.
Mark accepts the works as a necessary evil. “The sea defences may have something to do with what is happening and the weather has been bad this year,” he said. “Visitors usually come to the shops later in the day after being on the seafront, but that is not happening this year.”
“More shops are closed than open, so people have less incentive to come into the town centre. When that happens, there’s a domino effect. If people want to go shopping, they’re now more likely to go to places like Llandudno, Chester or Liverpool. There are lots of independent shops in Rhyl, but they’re off the main street and there’s nothing to drive people there.”
Mark started the company two years ago with hope and enthusiasm, but now faces unpleasant realities. “I’ve got a lot left in the tank and I’ve got a year left on my lease,” he said. “All I can do is hold out until next summer and see what happens.”
“I have a good landlord and I don’t pay business rates, but I can barely afford to pay myself. This time last year the shop was having record sales, but this July we are a long way from that – I won’t even take £1,000 this month.
“I have a mortgage to pay and a family to support. If push comes to shove, I can fall back on my online business. But if possible, I would rather keep the shop. Independent shops support the community and I want to give something back to the area.
“We all know that Rhyl is not the place it was 10 years ago. Something needs to be done to stop the decline. I don’t know what the solution is, but Denbighshire Council should start asking local people for their ideas.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a day
The resort’s new £12.6 million Queen’s Market was completed in June but will not open until an operator is found. Among local residents, the situation has triggered a mixture of astonishment, anger and weary resignation that yet another major project has failed to live up to expectations.
“I grew up in Rhyl and love the place and its community. But decisions made by the town council over the years have not helped. The retail space in the new market hall is tiny, a quarter the size of my shop, and it may also be too expensive. I look at places like Wrexham and Mold where large retail spaces have been made available for small independent businesses and wonder why something like that is not available here.”
Many believe that Rhyl’s decline can be traced back to the closure of the Ocean Beach Fair. When it closed its doors in 2007, it looked extremely run down – but at least it offered the kind of entertainment the town was famous and loved for.
Under the skilful management of Adam Williams, the Tir Prince site at Towyn filled this gap. Its theme park is now a major drawcard, helping to fill the resort’s 60,000 guest beds, and making Towyn an understated centre of the region’s tourism economy. In contrast, Rhyl’s B&B offering has steadily declined, with some converted into apartment blocks. If visitors are not staying at the local holiday parks, they now largely have to choose between a Travelodge and a Premier Inn.
Residents know things aren’t going well, but they’re hesitant to highlight the problems of a city that’s endured more than its fair share of negative headlines. Even in a month when Bangor was dubbed the “worst seaside town,” there’s a fear of reinforcing unwanted stereotypes.
And there have been positive trends. Property prices have bucked the national trend, rising 3% in the year to July. Pubs and restaurants remain busy. Bookings at local holiday parks are good. And the retail crisis has not had an impact across the city.
But poverty rates remain high and, like other seaside communities across the UK, there is a feeling that Rhyl remains a “dumping ground” for the vulnerable. In shops that aren’t boarded up, people complain that the town has been taken over by kebab shops, hairdressers, vape shops and charity shops.
One local woman was saddened to see how low the city has sunk. “All the parks in the area are broken and not maintained,” she wrote. “I took the children for a walk along the promenade, but because of the ongoing coastal protection works, you can’t even see the sea. The city is just shocking. Our children will not remember what it used to be like.”
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