Friday 9 April 2010

CHILDREN'S VILLAGE

Never in the history of Rhyl has quite so much scorn been heaped on a new development as on Children’s Village. Originally planned to be around the base of the Skytower, the marzipan village (as some call it) was bumped sideways onto a hump over a car park, obliterating the sea view and removing an important access point to the beach.

More than a decade ago I campaigned to have it knocked down. My objections were about the bizarre look of the place and the underlying cynicism. Children’s Village was little more than a business park, and the prom had been reconstructed to force strollers to walk through it.

Lately there have been some changes. The photographs above were taken yesterday by Yours Truly. The one at the top shows that a unit facing West Parade has been demolished. In the middle photo the high wall at the back has been replaced by a lower wall; if you stand close enough you can see the beach and sea even though you can’t get down there.

Finally, the view from the cinema end shows that the big round orange-and-yellow canopy has gone from over the car park entrance. Only time will tell whether its removal was a good idea, a bad idea or a pointless gesture.

--