Latest news with #DenbighshireCouncil
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Closure warnings during 30-week upgrade of Loggerheads Country Park to cope with visitor surge
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A 30-week scheme to revamp one of the busiest visitor sites in northeast Wales is to get underway this month. Main buildings at Loggerheads Country Park are being upgraded to cope with rising visitor numbers. The project will include refurbishing the visitor centre and café, with an enhanced seating area, as well as improving the toilets and carrying out external landscaping. Traditional porches will be installed over the shop entrance and a large sail canopy will be located near the park entrance to act as a meeting point for groups. Denbighshire Council said the project complements improvements also planned at nearby Moel Famau. A spokesperson said: 'The main aim of these improvements is to help manage the challenges linked to a growing number of visitors – currently exceeding 200,000 visitors per year – and meet their increasing expectations.' Initial works will focus on the toilet block, lasting around 10 weeks. A temporary toilet facility will be available on site during the closure. Improvements to the meeting room and café will then take place in the autumn, followed by the visitor centre and outdoor landscaping early in 2026. As these will also need to close temporarily, an 'exciting' pop-up catering facility will be established instead, showcasing produce from northeast Wales. The new canopies are a response to the site's "inadequate" covered outdoor spaces for socialising, eating and drinking. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up (Image: TACP Architects) Solar panels will be installed to improve the site's sustainability. Flood mitigation works at the site were completed earlier this year. Like the building upgrades, the flood defences were funded by £1.4m of UK Government Levelling Up funds. Council Leader Cllr Jason McLellan said: 'We have seen an increase in visitor numbers at Loggerheads Country Park in recent years and projects such as these, once completed, will help future-proof the park and meet the ever-increasing expectations of visitors. 'These sites are much-loved National Landscape areas, and it is important that we continue to maintain and develop sites such as these as their popularity grows to ensure that they can continue to be enjoyed by all who visit.' ParkCity Multitrade Ltd, based in St Asaph, has been awarded the contract. Work will start in mid-August and is expected to continue until early March 2026. Listed buildings at Loggerheads will not be affected by the work. The site was the location of Pentre Mill, an early 19th-century corn mill powered by a waterwheel. The wheel ceased operation in the 1940s but was later restored in the 1990s. In the 1920s, Crosville Motor Bus Company acquired the land, establishing tea rooms and gardens for visitors who mainly arrived by bus. With a bandstand, boating lake and refreshment kiosk, Loggerheads thrived. After a post-war decline, the site was bought by the old Clwyd County Council for conversion into a country park. Sitting below the dramatic limestone cliffs of the Alyn Valley, where the river enters steep wooded gorges, Loggerheads is now a gateway site for visitors wanting to explore the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley. A long-stay car park offers 90 parking spaces. Denbighshire Council has stressed the upgrade is unrelated to the Welsh Government's bid to create a new national park in northeast Wales. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Find family activities near you
North Wales Live
8 hours ago
- Business
- North Wales Live
Closure warnings during 30-week upgrade of Loggerheads Country Park to cope with visitor surge
A 30-week scheme to revamp one of the busiest visitor sites in northeast Wales is to get underway this month. Main buildings at Loggerheads Country Park are being upgraded to cope with rising visitor numbers. The project will include refurbishing the visitor centre and café, with an enhanced seating area, as well as improving the toilets and carrying out external landscaping. Traditional porches will be installed over the shop entrance and a large sail canopy will be located near the park entrance to act as a meeting point for groups. Denbighshire Council said the project complements improvements also planned at nearby Moel Famau. A spokesperson said: 'The main aim of these improvements is to help manage the challenges linked to a growing number of visitors – currently exceeding 200,000 visitors per year – and meet their increasing expectations.' Initial works will focus on the toilet block, lasting around 10 weeks. A temporary toilet facility will be available on site during the closure. Improvements to the meeting room and café will then take place in the autumn, followed by the visitor centre and outdoor landscaping early in 2026. As these will also need to close temporarily, an 'exciting' pop-up catering facility will be established instead, showcasing produce from northeast Wales. The new canopies are a response to the site's "inadequate" covered outdoor spaces for socialising, eating and drinking. Solar panels will be installed to improve the site's sustainability. Flood mitigation works at the site were completed earlier this year. Like the building upgrades, the flood defences were funded by £1.4m of UK Government Levelling Up funds. Council Leader Cllr Jason McLellan said: 'We have seen an increase in visitor numbers at Loggerheads Country Park in recent years and projects such as these, once completed, will help future-proof the park and meet the ever-increasing expectations of visitors. 'These sites are much-loved National Landscape areas, and it is important that we continue to maintain and develop sites such as these as their popularity grows to ensure that they can continue to be enjoyed by all who visit.' ParkCity Multitrade Ltd, based in St Asaph, has been awarded the contract. Work will start in mid-August and is expected to continue until early March 2026. Listed buildings at Loggerheads will not be affected by the work. The site was the location of Pentre Mill, an early 19th-century corn mill powered by a waterwheel. The wheel ceased operation in the 1940s but was later restored in the 1990s. In the 1920s, Crosville Motor Bus Company acquired the land, establishing tea rooms and gardens for visitors who mainly arrived by bus. With a bandstand, boating lake and refreshment kiosk, Loggerheads thrived. After a post-war decline, the site was bought by the old Clwyd County Council for conversion into a country park. Sitting below the dramatic limestone cliffs of the Alyn Valley, where the river enters steep wooded gorges, Loggerheads is now a gateway site for visitors wanting to explore the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley. A long-stay car park offers 90 parking spaces.
North Wales Live
5 days ago
- General
- North Wales Live
Council's £2m care package for single child 'should be investigated'
Calls have been made for an inquiry into the 'eye-watering' £2m a year fee a North Wales council is paying for the care of a single child. At a meeting last month, Denbighshire Council's chief executive Graham Boase revealed the authority is paying £35K a week in care bills for just one child – and the figure was later revised to £37.5K a week. Consequently, the huge sum means the council is paying nearly £2m a year for the child, who has significant disabilities, complex behaviour needs, and requires 24-hour care. Mr Boase revealed the figure whilst attempting to explain the financial strain the authority was under, describing social care costs not seen by the public. But the revelation has now led to Care Forum Wales writing to the Auditor General for Wales, Adrian Crompton. The 'social care champions' want the Auditor General to investigate the £2m bill for the child. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox. Care Forum Wales says it is concerned the huge bill represents inequality within a social care system, claiming care providers looking after older, vulnerable people have to battle for funding from local councils. The organisation is concerned that whilst Denbighshire Council pays £37,500 a week for the care of one child, the authority pays just '£774 a week to fund residential care for an older person in the county'. Care Forum Wales chair Mario Kreft MBE said: 'There needs to be an inquiry into this, based on the inequality on how we fund older people's services. I think the Auditor General who's the head of Audit Wales needs to scrutinise this thoroughly with a proper inquiry so we can get to the bottom of this. And I think it's about the court of public opinion as well. I think the public needs to understand what's going on with this. 'Denbighshire are notoriously poor payers when it comes to funding adult social care. In fact, they are just about the lowest of the low. My question to the council would be have they done a cost of care review on this placement for this child, as they would for an older person, because none of us can get our heads around how it can possibly be £2m a year.' He added: 'That figure is totally extraordinary, so you're asking who signed it off and on what basis. How can that figure possibly be correct? It's an eye-watering sum of money. The bigger question is the inequality around this, the imbalance in the system. It's a council which wants to reduce fees all the time, always looking to penny-pinch.' Mr Kreft runs the Pendine Park Care Organisation, one of the biggest and most successful care home groups in the region. In the last financial year it posted gross profits of just over £11m. A spokesman for Denbighshire County Council commented: 'All packages of care for children or young people in Denbighshire are reviewed in line with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and associated codes of practice and regulations, with all packages of support signed off by the head of children's services, who bases their decision on the assessment of need presented by the case holding social worker. 'Every six weeks all high-cost children's placements are reviewed by our review panel, chaired by the head of children's services, with relevant service and team managers and (the) finance officer. The council has received a Freedom of Information request from Care Forum Wales on this particular case and will be responding with more detail through that formal process.' The council spokesman said that the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 placed a duty on local authorities to assess and meet the eligible needs of both children and their carers. He added: 'The child in question has very complex needs which means that a high level of expert care is required in order to safeguard the child's welfare. The authority cannot provide any further information as this will potentially identify the child concerned.' The spokesman went on to explain that every council has different annual funding settlements from Welsh Government, without addressing the fact that Denbighshire has enjoyed the highest percentage rise in North Wales in 2024 and 2025 alone. 'Each local authority has a different funding settlement and therefore must strike a very delicate balance of navigating challenging financial constraints and ensuring that we are maintaining a sustainable future for the care sector in Denbighshire. The cost of this care package has had no bearing on the setting of care fees for care providers in adult services,' he said. 'In determining our care fees each year, we undertake a consultation with care providers and for 2025 / 2026 Denbighshire invested in Care Cubed (a recognised care fee methodology) along with most of the other local authorities in North Wales to ensure a consistent approach across the region. Every care home provider in Denbighshire is encouraged to discuss their care fees with the local authority and using Care Cubed will work out the cost of care and agree fees. Denbighshire currently funds approximately 382 placements across 85 care homes. 'The total projected cost for older people's residential and nursing care during 2025/26 is £15.2m. With social care making up nearly a third of the average council tax bill in Denbighshire, it is vital that we take a fair and sustainable approach to funding care within Denbighshire.' Leader Cllr Jason McLellan added: 'Denbighshire County Council having to fund packages of care at this cost is very rare but reflects the very complex needs of this child, whom the authority is caring for.' Audit Wales was contacted for a comment.
North Wales Live
29-07-2025
- North Wales Live
'Free' seafront campsite with North Wales beach views leaves people incensed
Residents have been infuriated by the provision of a toilet for occupiers of an unauthorised campsite on Rhyl beachfront. Just yards away is a public toilet block that's closed until further notice. Some people worry the campsite will entice others to take advantage of the free facility during the summer holidays. Denbighshire Council said it was obliged to provide services in line with government guidance on Gypsy, Roma & Traveller encampments. Several tents, two caravans and a couple of cars have been spotted on a grassy area off Rhyl Promenade, by the town's Eisteddfod Standing Stones. It's understood they arrived late last week. The same area attracted similar encampments last summer, and another was moved on from the promenade last month. Nearby are the Old Golf Road Public Toilets, where signs warn camping is banned. 'The irony is not lost on me,' said one woman online. 'Toilets closed for everyone but temporary ones can be provided for a pop-up campsite.' The public toilets are currently shut for repairs. Along with others in the resort, the block has been earmarked for an 'upgrade' so that the previously free facility can be run unstaffed, with cashless payments. Rhyl Town Council is being asked to hike its council tax levy to pay for running costs, estimated at £12,211-a-year. Bins have also been provided for the campers. A regular visitor said it was 'not nice' for locals who must pay for similar services through their council taxes. On social media, some people complained about the situation. 'They never put a portaloo out for visitors,' noted one woman. Others worry the encampment will become a free-for-all. Tongue-in-cheek, a Prestatyn woman said: 'Think I will take my tent and dog there next week – saves money going to a campsite and (there's) a beach on your doorstep.' There was also plenty of support both for the campers and for the local authority. People living nearby said they'd had 'no issues at all' with the site's occupiers. One resident said the council had no option other than to provide basic services. A few people believe the 'live and let live' mantra should apply, others suggested the campsite was a more productive use of land that was otherwise little used. 'Fantastic to see people enjoying what otherwise a waste of space,' said one man. 'I hope the council are clever enough to charge £10 a night – just saying.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Denbighshire Council confirmed it had visited the site. A spokesperson said: 'The council visited the occupiers of the site to perform a welfare check-in, which is in line with government legislation and guidance on unauthorised Gypsy, Roma & Traveller encampments.'
North Wales Live
26-07-2025
- Automotive
- North Wales Live
Clampdown ordered at besieged North Wales beauty spot
A clampdown has been ordered at a popular beauty spot beseiged by visitors. Scenes of parking mayhem at Horseshoe Falls has prompted a swift reaction from Denbighshire Council. Earlier this month, residents were left incensed when dozens of visitors parked illegally along a narrow country lane near Thomas Telford's dramatic 140-metre weir in Llangollen. By brazenly ignoring double yellow lines, and potentially blocking traffic, local people said it reflected a wider disrepect today's visitors have for the area. At an attraction that now draws more than 100,000 visits each year, littering is endemic and illegal BBQs are reportedly becoming more commonplace. Scenes witnessed on recent sunny weekends have shocked residents and fuelled calls for badly parked cars to be towed away. Denbighshire Council is now asking visitors to plan ahead and consider other sites in the beautiful Dee Valley if Horseshoe Falls is busy. The local authority wants people to do their homework so they have other options if spaces are unavailable at the weir car park. To help manage the area's problems, extra countryside rangers have been allocated to the site over the summer holidays. The council has also pledged greater visibility from traffic wardens in the surrounding area, especially at peak times. Cllr Alan James, lead member for local development and planning, warned visitors that a cheap day-out could suddenly become more expensive. He said: 'We do want visitors to enjoy Horseshoe Falls and the surrounding areas. 'But we would strongly urge them that parking restrictions are important for both road safety and ensuring there is a fair turnover of parking spaces. Drivers need to be aware that while visiting, anyone not complying with parking restrictions risk receiving a Penalty Charge Notice from our civil enforcement officers.' Another measure implemented by the council is the installation of fencing at the Horseshoe Falls car park entrance. This, it said, is to stop vehicles being parking on grass verges, which can obstruct traffic. Urging people to visit and park responsibly, Cllr James said the Dee Valley has plenty of other attractions to visit. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox He added: 'Our rangers are on site at Horseshoe Falls to provide advice and guidance to visitors coming to the site. I would ask that the public also respect the important role they are there to carry out.'
