A picturesque Welsh town which was decimated by Covid-19 must move with the times - or risk being left behind.
Llandudno, a popular holiday destination for the people of Merseyside, was hit hard by the pandemic in 2020 as shops and hotels were forced to close. But the 'staycation' trend, a thriving retail market, restaurants, and the purchasing of several closed-down seafront hotels helped the town bounce back from the brink.
However, Llandudno landowner Mostyn Estates says it is vital the town keeps moving forward, and hopes to overcome its overreliance on tourism with the help of a 10-year regeneration plan, commissioned by Conwy Council.
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The company's focus on bringing other employment to the town has seen North Wales Training take on the historic Drill Hall, which was once was home of the part-time volunteers of the Territorial Army. Meanwhile, an application has been submitted to the UK Government Levelling-Up funds to help transform the former Mostyn Street M&S into a food, leisure and business destination, North Wales Live reports.
Edward Hiller, chief executive at Mostyn Estates, said: “Most pundits are predicting a recession and I would suggest we are already in a darker cycle but the strongest towns will come out of it better. What we are trying to do is position Llandudno in a way it will come out strongly. It needs to fire on all cylinders, that is why we need that bit of industry to support the hospitality sector.
“We should be open armed to people bringing businesses here, that employment, that skill base, that allows us to regenerate the town and keep going. If you don’t go forward you go backwards - there is no static and we have to keep thinking about the future.
“I feel we are in a strong place but we can’t sit back and relax, we are actively looking to bring more people in and shaking the tree to see what interest there is there.”
The company aims to make Parc Llandudno retail park, Mostyn Champneys retail park, and the town centre itself into "one entity".
Jon Merrick, of the Mostyn Estates business development department, added: “The long term plan (for former M&S) is to create a food and leisure destination that supports the town in some of the weak areas, like wet weather attractions.”
Work is expected to begin in April 2023 and could potentially be completed by June 2024.
Looking to the future, Mr Hiller said: “The principles of the 10-year plan are sound, around developing the town centre and enhancing facilities around the town. Some of the ideas are outliers - ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ - but let’s concentrate on the principles and focus on the priorities rather than spending too much time worrying about whether someone will buy The Grand or not or put pods on the Orme. It has some very important points in it.”
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