What's Llandudno Like Right Now?

[SteveH]

Having just had all the excellent TV coverage of the Great Orme on the Tour of Britain it's seems absolutely ridiculous not to find a way of including it in the Cambrian Rally.
Which bit of parking land is up for sale anyway and whose private property gets walked across ?

Thank you, I thought it was just me.   

[FatAndy]

The stratergey is to use Colwyn it been like this for the last 6 years,pour all money into Colwyn and they don;t hide it,Cll Rees is the main man behind this.

I don't know if Graham Gas is the main man behind this but if he is fair play to him.  It's about time someone with a bit of clout realised that there's a lot more to Conwy County than Llandudno  .

Hopefully now that Colwyn Bay has Porth Eirias he can look at spreading the largesse further still.  Places like Towyn, Abergele, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed must all be well overdue a share of any investment in the future.

[Dave]

The stratergey is to use Colwyn it been like this for the last 6 years,pour all money into Colwyn and they don;t hide it,Cll Rees is the main man behind this.

I don't know if Graham Gas is the main man behind this but if he is fair play to him.  It's about time someone with a bit of clout realised that there's a lot more to Conwy County than Llandudno  .

Hopefully now that Colwyn Bay has Porth Eirias he can look at spreading the largesse further still.  Places like Towyn, Abergele, Penmaenmawr, Llanfairfechan, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed must all be well overdue a share of any investment in the future.

That might be quite right but the Cambrian Rally along Colwyn Bay prom just doesn't tick any boxes. Any suggestions of alternatives with the same drama and spectacle as the Orme because I can't think of any?

[majormellons]

When organising the last rally event in Llandudno, things took a turn for the worse when somebody up the Orme took the pi$s over how much they were charging Wales Rally GB for parking, which is why the 'aint keen on coming back.

Some very greedy people about, who have cost Llandudno a lot of money over their own selfishness.

[wrex]

Fatandy you stick up for the Bay just as i will stick up for Llandudno but don;t say the bay gets nowt,how many times has station rd been done,our pavements never,erias park has had massive money and the skip has cost us all a fortune.

[FatAndy]

Fatandy you stick up for the Bay just as i will stick up for Llandudno but don;t say the bay gets nowt,how many times has station rd been done,our pavements never,erias park has had massive money and the skip has cost us all a fortune.

I don't stick up for the Bay. Much like Councillor Gas I don't live there, never have, and have no vested interest in the place. I do currently work there but in the past I've also worked in Llandudno for longer than I've worked in Colwyn Bay.  As a CCBC council tax payer I just want to see CCBC sharing out the investment across the whole of county and not just pumping everything into one or two towns.  Llandudno has had plenty in recent years - £330,000 spent on the pier landing stage (rumours now that it will be used to land passengers off American cruise liners from next year - kerching), £3.5m on Oriel Mostyn, £5.1m on the railway station, £400,000 on the library, £500,000 on the football ground, etc, etc, etc....... There's also the small matter of £1m+ pa spent propping up the White Elephant on the prom.

How much has been spent on Towyn, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed in recent years?  I don't know but combined it won't come close to the £10m+ spent in Llandudno.

[DaveR]

How much has been spent on Towyn, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed in recent years?  I don't know but combined it won't come close to the £10m+ spent in Llandudno.

...and that £10m doesn't come close to the amounts spent in Colwyn Bay over the past few years.

In fact, Colwyn Bay received £12m in just ONE grant earlier this year!!

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/colwyn-bay-12-million-regeneration-6680243

[wrex]

The white elephant could be run better but they refuse to let buissness people run it,the pier was windfarm money and has not had a ship dock yet,the station is 10 years late,the bay has had two makeovers in that time,the fact is CCBC are doing everything in Erias and i mean everything and don;t forget CCBC run and lose money every year on Colwyn prom day,im not sure if they put anything on in Llandudno on their own.

[majormellons]

Fatandy you stick up for the Bay just as i will stick up for Llandudno but don;t say the bay gets nowt,how many times has station rd been done,our pavements never,erias park has had massive money and the skip has cost us all a fortune.

I don't stick up for the Bay. Much like Councillor Gas I don't live there, never have, and have no vested interest in the place. I do currently work there but in the past I've also worked in Llandudno for longer than I've worked in Colwyn Bay.  As a CCBC council tax payer I just want to see CCBC sharing out the investment across the whole of county and not just pumping everything into one or two towns.  Llandudno has had plenty in recent years - £330,000 spent on the pier landing stage (rumours now that it will be used to land passengers off American cruise liners from next year - kerching), £3.5m on Oriel Mostyn, £5.1m on the railway station, £400,000 on the library, £500,000 on the football ground, etc, etc, etc....... There's also the small matter of £1m+ pa spent propping up the White Elephant on the prom.

How much has been spent on Towyn, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed in recent years?  I don't know but combined it won't come close to the £10m+ spent in Llandudno.

Of all those monies quoted, how much of that was CCBC tax payers money?

[Michael]

Wrex --- is that correct that the Council loose money on the Prom day every year? How on earth do they manage that? Its obvious that thousands of pounds are spent with the various traders who, presumably, are charged likewise for rentals, and as far as I know all the expenses are a bit of insurance, a rubbish collector or two and a few traffic barriers.

[FatAndy]

How much has been spent on Towyn, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed in recent years?  I don't know but combined it won't come close to the £10m+ spent in Llandudno.

...and that £10m doesn't come close to the amounts spent in Colwyn Bay over the past few years.

In fact, Colwyn Bay received £12m in just ONE grant earlier this year!!

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/colwyn-bay-12-million-regeneration-6680243

Isn't that a good thing?  This forum is called the "Three Towns Forum" so surely it's members should be celebrating any positive news in any of the three towns it supposedly represents and not acting like spoilt primary school kids threatening to take their footballs home because they think their mates have been given something they haven't.  Besides Colwyn Bay was awarded the regeneration grant because it's an S H one dot T hole that's desperately in need of renovation.  If you're really that jealous perhaps you could arrange for large sections of Llandudno to be turned in slums and then close down half the shops in the town centre and allow them to rot for five years.  Then maybe Llandudno will be entitled to a regeneration grant of it's own.

[FatAndy]

Of all those monies quoted, how much of that was CCBC tax payers money?

What usually happens is that the council will apply for a grant so usually very little of the cost comes from tax payers money, e.g. the cost of the sea defence work in Colwyn Bay is largely paid for by the Welsh Assembly and ERDF funding.  Ultimately though most of it comes from income tax payers.

[FatAndy]

The white elephant could be run better but they refuse to let buissness people run it,the pier was windfarm money and has not had a ship dock yet,the station is 10 years late,the bay has had two makeovers in that time,the fact is CCBC are doing everything in Erias and i mean everything and don;t forget CCBC run and lose money every year on Colwyn prom day,im not sure if they put anything on in Llandudno on their own.

The White Elephant will never be profitable.  Llandudno lacks the facilities to attract big conferences so having a big conference centre in the town is pointless (I posted something about this the other day but my post "disappeared").  The windfarm money came from a "community funding" scheme - which other communities have received any share from it?  Llandudno is the only station I'm aware of anywhere close to here so late or not at least it's happened.  I'm not sure that the Bay has had two "makeovers" but there were some street works which were funded by the European Convergence Fund and not by Conwy CBC.  One of the themes of the bid for the Convergence Funding was "supporting the integrated regeneration of the most deprived towns and villages by physical improvements to the urban fabric and the wider natural and built heritage." Do you consider Llandudno to be on of "the most deprived towns in Wales".  Personally I'd be celebrating not being eligible for this type of funding.  The work at Eirias (it's got two "i"s) has been lead and significately funded by the Welsh Rugby Union.  They decided in their infinite wisdom to create a team in North Wales and needed a stadium to base it in.  It just happened Eirias had a stadium already built with sufficient land around it to put in the training centre and some car parking.  Where exactly in Llandudno is there an equivalent stadium with surrounding land that could have been put forward by CCBC?  Given that the WRU could have decided to locate their team in somewhere like Wrexham, Connah's Quay or Caernarfon having the team in Colwyn Bay is good news for residents of Llandudno who might support the team and not fancy having to make a ninety mile round trip to watch home games.  And I'm sure a lot of people who went to watch Tom Jones in the summer were happier travelling to Colwyn Bay than to somewhere like Wrexham.  You'll have to submit your data about the Prom Day before I can consider this point as I've never seen the set of financial accounts you must be referring to but surely the point of these events is to attract visitors who will spend money in local shops, cafes, hotels, etc and not for the council to make a profit.  They also don't put it on "one their own".  Colwyn Bay Town Council are also involved and last year View Creative, Halliwell Jones and Brening Construction all provided sponsorship.

[majormellons]

Of all those monies quoted, how much of that was CCBC tax payers money?

What usually happens is that the council will apply for a grant so usually very little of the cost comes from tax payers money, e.g. the cost of the sea defence work in Colwyn Bay is largely paid for by the Welsh Assembly and ERDF funding.  Ultimately though most of it comes from income tax payers.

That's the point I'm making. As the a fore mentioned projects have cost CCBC tax payers, very little in financial terms, don't quite see why they should be considered an issue or brought into question?

[SteveH]

How much has been spent on Towyn, Abergele, Llanfairfechan, Penmaenmawr, Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed in recent years?  I don't know but combined it won't come close to the £10m+ spent in Llandudno.

...and that £10m doesn't come close to the amounts spent in Colwyn Bay over the past few years.

In fact, Colwyn Bay received £12m in just ONE grant earlier this year!!

Some general info from the BID thread, when I was researching funding.
"Ingrid Lewis, Bay of Colwyn Town Manager. More than £50 million is already helping to reinvent the town by providing in-demand sports, arts and events facilities, modernising its famous promenade and improving the public realm..............A major project to restore our historic and iconic pier is also underway.? ? ? ?
But the best is yet to come. Regeneration is already transforming Colwyn Bay but we are keen to invite investors and developers to be a part of our future growth. Investment opportunities exist." (not sure of this info's timeline)

Coastal Communities Fund   (New funding opportunities)
The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) will encourage the economic development of UK coastal communities by giving them funding to create sustainable economic growth and jobs.
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/housing-and-regeneration/regeneration/coastal-communities-fund/?lang=en
Local authorities will share more than £100m for regeneration schemes from 2014 to 2017.
http://wales.gov.uk/topics/housing-and-regeneration/regeneration/vibrant-and-viable-places/?lang=en