Rhyl's multi-screen cinema to reopen in latest boost for seaside town
Rhyl's multi-screen cinema is set to reopen as the embattled seaside town shows early signs of a revival. The town has suffered a tough few years with the closure of the Vue cinema on the seafront, as well as losing the SeaQuarium and the failure of the Skyflyer to take-off.
This was compounded by storm damage closing the SC2 waterpark. But this week came the news it would reopen next month.
The town is also set to benefit from a £20m UK Government investment in the resort - with a board set up to decide how that should be spent. The Queen's Market Food Hall and Event space will also open in July.
Now independent national cinema operator, Merlin Cinemas have announced they will take over the closed five-screen cinema, subject to completing lease arrangements with Denbighshire County Council, who own the site.
The Cornwall-based independent operator has 21 other cinemas across the UK, including the Scala at Prestatyn. The company has a reputation for operating historic cinemas, as well as repurposed and modern buildings as cinemas, in communities often overlooked or underserved by larger cinema companies.
Following the closure of the cinema at the end of January, Denbighshire County Council said it has been "working hard" to attract an operator to the popular amenity on Rhyl's promenade.
Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader of Denbighshire County Council and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation said: 'We're delighted to have Merlin on board to ensure that residents and visitors can enjoy a great day out in Rhyl. Once the lease is signed and Merlin have taken over, the cinema will play a pivotal role in the broader regeneration efforts in Rhyl town centre.'
Merlin is working closely with the Council to complete and sign the lease and with suppliers to assess the work needed behind the scenes before it can reopen. They said they are committed to improving the cinema and enhancing the cinema experience for the local community. It may mean that the cinema reopens in phases. There will also be a new name, which is still under wraps. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Merlin's Founder and Managing Director, Geoff Greaves, who was awarded an MBE for his outstanding contribution to the cinema industry, said: 'We're delighted to have been successful in our bid to operate this cinema. We're already familiar with the location because of our cinema four miles along the coast in Prestatyn, but when the opportunity came along, we jumped at the chance.
"We are doing everything we can to get the doors open so that the town has a cinema again. We really believe that seeing a film at the cinema on the big screen with family or friends is a very different experience to watching it at home; it is more memorable, more sociable and offers a sense of occasion. We look forward to welcoming you back to your cinema very soon.'
Councillor McLellan added: 'The cinema itself is in a great location opposite Queen's Market Food Hall and Event space, which will open on 10 July, therefore this is a great opportunity to be part of an exciting time for Rhyl. As a Council, we're delighted to have found an operator to take over the site so quickly and we're looking forward to working with Merlin to secure the success of the facility.
'When it opens, I urge residents to support the cinema as well as other leisure facilities in the town – we need everyone to be backing our businesses to ensure their continued success.' Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
18 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
No cars available for full Electric Car Grant nearly a month after launch
Car dealers and industry experts have branded the Electric Car Grant roll out 'shambolic' as there are still no EV models eligible for the full discount nearly a month after launch. The grant was launched on July 16 and offers a two-tier discount scheme for electric cars under £37,000. 'Band 1' cars get the full £3,750 relief and 'Band 2' models receive a reduced £1,500 rate. As of today (Aug 14), only 17 cars are available for Electric Car Grants and all of them are in Band 2. The new Nissan Leaf will be eligible for the full £3,750 grant, but it is not yet on sale. Car dealers say this is stalling sales of EVs in showrooms as customers hold off purchases to see if their model will be offered a discount. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said new car sales in July were down five per cent and blamed 'external factors'. Chief Mike Hawes called for 'consumer certainty' around the grant. Neil McCue, director of the large South Coast-based franchised car dealer group Snows, branded the grant 'ill thought out'. He said: 'We have seen customers holding off buying electric cars in July and we're seeing it again in August. They're all asking for their £3,750 discount and we can't give it to them. 'Why has this been so complicated? It shouldn't have been linked to emissions for manufacturing – the idea here was to boost the sales of EVs and you can only do that with a simple scheme that covers them all.' Peter Smyth, director of car dealer group Swansway, called the scheme 'shambolic' and said it was causing 'too much confusion' in showrooms. He added: 'There should have been a simple VAT cut on all electric cars under £37,000 which would have been simple to implement and importantly available from the day of launch.' The Electric Car Grant discounts are linked to the eco credentials of the manufacturing process with 'Science-Based Targets' used to decide which band the cars sit in. These look at the emissions emitted by car makers when producing the batteries and the vehicles. James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine, said: 'We are hearing from dealers across the country that this scheme is having the opposite effect of what the government intended. The delay in announcing eligible cars is causing electric car sales to stall. 'While we applaud the government for finally doing something to incentivise electric car sales, the details of this scheme really should have been hammered out behind closed doors before it was announced to avoid the confusion we're now facing.' A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'We expect dozens of models to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant with 17 models announced to date and many more to come, providing a substantial boost for the industry and saving drivers thousands of pounds. 'The list of eligible models is published online and regularly updated with discounts available for the public at dealerships. 'We have also published comprehensive guidance for manufacturers who we will continue to work with alongside dealers to help more of their customers access the grant.'
Glasgow Times
19 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
No cars available for full Electric Car Grant nearly a month after launch
The grant was launched on July 16 and offers a two-tier discount scheme for electric cars under £37,000. 'Band 1' cars get the full £3,750 relief and 'Band 2' models receive a reduced £1,500 rate. As of today (Aug 14), only 17 cars are available for Electric Car Grants and all of them are in Band 2. The new Nissan Leaf will be eligible for the full £3,750 grant, but it is not yet on sale. Car dealers say this is stalling sales of EVs in showrooms as customers hold off purchases to see if their model will be offered a discount. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said new car sales in July were down five per cent and blamed 'external factors'. Chief Mike Hawes called for 'consumer certainty' around the grant. The Nissan Leaf is expected to get the full £3,750 off its list price – but it isn't on sale yet (Nissan) Neil McCue, director of the large South Coast-based franchised car dealer group Snows, branded the grant 'ill thought out'. He said: 'We have seen customers holding off buying electric cars in July and we're seeing it again in August. They're all asking for their £3,750 discount and we can't give it to them. 'Why has this been so complicated? It shouldn't have been linked to emissions for manufacturing – the idea here was to boost the sales of EVs and you can only do that with a simple scheme that covers them all.' Peter Smyth, director of car dealer group Swansway, called the scheme 'shambolic' and said it was causing 'too much confusion' in showrooms. He added: 'There should have been a simple VAT cut on all electric cars under £37,000 which would have been simple to implement and importantly available from the day of launch.' The Electric Car Grant discounts are linked to the eco credentials of the manufacturing process with 'Science-Based Targets' used to decide which band the cars sit in. These look at the emissions emitted by car makers when producing the batteries and the vehicles. James Baggott, editor of Car Dealer Magazine, said: 'We are hearing from dealers across the country that this scheme is having the opposite effect of what the government intended. The delay in announcing eligible cars is causing electric car sales to stall. 'While we applaud the government for finally doing something to incentivise electric car sales, the details of this scheme really should have been hammered out behind closed doors before it was announced to avoid the confusion we're now facing.' A Department for Transport spokesperson said: 'We expect dozens of models to be eligible for the Electric Car Grant with 17 models announced to date and many more to come, providing a substantial boost for the industry and saving drivers thousands of pounds. 'The list of eligible models is published online and regularly updated with discounts available for the public at dealerships. 'We have also published comprehensive guidance for manufacturers who we will continue to work with alongside dealers to help more of their customers access the grant.'
Fashion United
36 minutes ago
- Fashion United
British designer accuses Belgian football club Beerschot of plagiarizing shirt design
Belgian football club Beerschot has issued an official statement responding to accusations of plagiarism regarding its new football shirt. London-based Diana al Shammari accused the club of copying the floral pattern. Al Shammari is known on Instagram as 'thefootballgal'. On her account, she embellishes football shirts with embroidery. She has collaborated with the Belgian Red Devils, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Adidas. Now, a similar type of embroidery has appeared on Beerschot's shirt. Al Shammari believes this constitutes copying. She commented under Beerschot's initial Instagram post unveiling the new shirt. The chief executive officer of Nova, the shirt's production company, then responded, leading to an exchange. The CEO stated that they had contacted the designer for a collaboration but received no reply. The company then proceeded independently. Al Shammari is pushing for a settlement with Beerschot and will take legal action if one is not reached. Beerschot's official statement presents a different perspective. The club states that the design was conceived entirely independently and was not inspired by specific designs from any third party. 'This shirt originated during an internal design meeting. It was inspired by Antwerp, the city's rich fashion history and renowned designers. Floral motifs have been a part of Antwerp fashion for decades. Consider the work of Dries Van Noten and other designers known globally for their floral styles.' The club also notes that the purple violet on the shirt symbolises Beerschot. 'The result is an original design, stemming from various influences and design ideas.' It is currently unclear whether al Shammari will pursue legal action, as she previously hinted, if a settlement is not reached. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
