Work to demolish a well known tourism attraction is set to start. Rhyl’s SeaQuarium opened 30 years ago and was a key part of the town’s tourism offer.
But the building closed in November 2023 with Denbighshire County Council saying the structure was “no longer fit for purpose as a modern tourist attraction”. SeaQuarium blamed its decision to close on the council’s ongoing coastal works by the site.
The company said the coastal works would have a harmful impact on trade and leave seals with behavioural and physical welfare issues.
Denbighshire council last year secured planning to demolish the site. Work started today and it is expected that it will take six weeks to complete.
Denbighshire council said: “The 30-year-old building has stood empty since the closure of SeaQuarium at the end of November 2023 and is no longer fit for purpose as a modern tourist attraction. One of the main aims of the Rhyl Town Centre Vision is to improve the visibility of the seafront, and to better link the town centre with the beach.
“The building is in a prime location on Rhyl’s seafront and the Council is in discussions about how the site will be used in future once the building is demolished.”
The Council currently has an 85% Welsh Government grant for the Coastal Sea Defence work and Welsh Government has agreed that the cost of demolition can be put against this grant in order to make the location safe and usable for a future attraction.
Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “I believe this is a really positive step forward to improve the seafront in Rhyl. This is an opportunity to see this prominent site in the heart of Rhyl’s tourist zone re-imagined. It’s a fantastic location next to the Events Arena and links up the town centre with the beach. I’m really looking forward to seeing the developments on Rhyl promenade.”
Balfour Beatty, the contractor currently working on the coastal sea defence scheme, will undertake the demolition work as part of the current programme of work they are completing.
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