Once thriving North Wales high street now dubbed 'ghost road' - but community determined to transform fortunes

Station Road was once the beating heart of the shopping district of Colwyn Bay.

The street is the first sight for many arriving in the town by train and while some of the grand Victorian buildings still reflect the glory days of the past the units tell a different story.

Around a third of the 30 units on the pedestrianised street are now empty and rarely are there more than a smattering of shoppers walking the road.

One letting agent dubbed it a 'ghost road' in a seaside town he says is generally trading well.

Business Live took a tour of the street and asked shop owners, a letting agent and the chamber of trade what could be done to help transform its fortunes.

For Colin Flannigan, who runs St David’s Commercial in Colwyn Bay, the answer to the street’s woes is clear - get rid of pedestrianisation. There is currently a confused hybrid system with some access to vehicles through automated bollards at certain times.

He said: “This is a ghost road while the rest of the town is trading well, we desperately need improvement on it.

“They need to open it up one way, that is the easy and cheap solution. They did it in Holywell and it worked and they are doing the same in Buckley.

“The new council office has increased footfall in the town in general and Penrhyn Road is trading well but it hasn’t quite worked here.

“Access would solve 90% of the problem, if the council reopened this road and let everybody trade as they used to it would make a big difference.

“Anything that makes it harder to shop affects trade. If it is raining people want to park up near a shop.”

He added: “Rates are very high because it used to be a prime shopping zone, it isn’t now, it is a secondary now.

“Rents needs to be lower but more than that is the rates, in some units they are higher than the rents, that is ridiculous.”

A check on the Valuation Office Agency website shows the rateable value on the now closed Litten Tree/Factory Warehouse shop is a whopping £43,000 - while for the Boots store it is just over £32,000.

He added that planning needed to be relaxed so units could move easily between A1 and A3 use without having to go through the planning process.

Tahir Ahmed Rana, who owns Gatsby Menswear Shop, which has had closing down sale signs up for a number of years, said rates is the biggest issue.

He said: “It is difficult, we had planned to close down because of the situation but our landlord responded and lowered the rent. My rates are actually now more than my rent although there is rates relief, you never know how long this will last though as it changes every year.

“For now I’m staying here but we have to see more done on the rates, that is the main thing that could change this street.

“I would like to see no rates for new businesses coming in for say three years, let them establish themselves and then start paying rates. If we bring new businesses here then more people will come.

“This is better than having a street with lots of charity shops that don’t pay rates. Opening up the street would also help but rates are the biggest issue.”

Mark Clemson, from Colwyn Chamber of Trade, said: “Station Road in the centre of Colwyn Bay has suffered like many high streets across the country.

“Large units are left vacant and there appears to be no magic wand to solve the issues created.

“Colwyn Chamber of Trade believe however that there is potential with these larger units but the thinking of how they are used has to change, multi functional - fit for purpose and affordable are key to their success. Creating areas within these units for ‘new business’ to develop, with pop up opportunities and community spaces, that encourage local patronage usage.

“Business rates should be discounted in order to assist the process and give those engaging, a fighting chance of success.

“We have to have a strategic approach, thinking forwards and investing in our own local entrepreneurs as well as encouraging investment into the area.

“As a legacy, the BID should invest financially in supporting an initiative like this, as I believe it has the potential to create something special now and certainly for the future”

“With regards to the smaller units, there must be a proactive approach to letting or selling.

“Colwyn Chamber of Trade have suggested an initiative to Colin Flannigan. This has been well received and discussions are ongoing to identify a suitable date in the near future. The initiative would be to hold an Open Day.

“Following an initial meet and greet, guests, who would include local and further afield business, would be given a tour of the area, focussing on commercial properties that are available. Representatives of those property management companies engaging with the initiative would be present to answer all questions.”

Robert Gaze, landlord of the Prince Madoc pub on Station Road, said: "The town needs cleaning up, the street is a mess and the side streets off it are terrible with bins overflowing.

"People see a filthy town and they don't want to come so we need to do more to tidy up the town.

"Crime and social issues are a problem too and we need the police involved to make the town safer.

"Then there are the rates, they are too high and two years ago ours even went up, from £13,000 to £19,700 - that is a huge increase and it is crippling for us.

"We need investment to bring in footfall and then other brands may come but the council has to work with private businesses to support investment rather than putting everything into the sites they own."

Shopper and supporter of local high streets David Williams said: “With much talking up about the ‘estimated’ fortunes of the new council building being built in the heart of the town there seems to still be a disconnect between such projects ability to improve and area while the reality is that a once thriving street is now somewhat ghostly.

“The latest Welsh Government high street fund makes reference to local authorities moving operations into town centres maybe they should take a long hard look at Conwy councils office and think ‘is this the best and right thing to focus on’.”

Cllr Goronwy Edwards, cabinet member for Economic Development, said: “The struggles experienced by high streets across the ��Ƶ are well known and an on-going concern.

"The regeneration of Colwyn Bay is a Council priority, and we’re currently in the early stages of the next phase that focuses on developing options for the town centre.

"This includes the regeneration of Station Road amongst a wider set of options for the whole town centre. All of the proposed options will be subject to consultation with stakeholders and the wider public, which we anticipate will take place later this spring.”