Britain’s worst seaside town dubbed ‘Costa Del Dole’ getting £200m upgrade with new indoor water park & nature reserve
BRITAIN’S worst seaside town nicknamed “Costa Del Dole” is set to have a massive £200million makeover to counter its tragic downfall.
Rundwon Rhyl in North Wales has been slammed as one of the country’s worst seaside resorts after decades of “rapid decline” and vanishing tourism.
The once thriving holiday hotspot’s pier, funfair and shopping centre have shut down between the 1970s and 2000s – leaving the town centre “rundown”.
Locals described the area as “dead“, with empty shops, derelict buildings and “streets lined with rubbish”.
It was described as “Blackpool after a neutron bomb” when it was ranked by The Telegraph as one of the worst seaside towns in Britain in 2023.
Fed up locals even discouraged visitors from coming – they told The Sun they were “not surprised” their town had ranked so low.
They also noted their town’s disastrous spiral came with a worrying increase of anti-social behaviour.
But seaside town Rhyl is now fighting back with a wave of investment aimed at reversing years of crisis and decay.
“Costa del Dole” boasts four beaches, a waterpark, a fun fair, a 1,000-seat theatre and a host of other attractions which aim to bring the town back to life.
Denbighshire County Council said that the transformation is part of a long-term strategy – and not just a quick fix for the faltering area.
They said that a whopping £200million has already been injected into the coastal town’s glamorous facelift over the past decade.
Over £100million has already been spent upgrading sea defences to protect homes and businesses from coastal flooding.
A brand-new accessible children’s play park has also replaced the outdated Drift Park, in a push to make the beachside town family-friendly once again.
The council said they had “delivered many projects to improve green space areas for the health and well-being benefits of residents and visitors”.
They said: “For example, the Brickfield Pond Nature Reserve has undergone a period of transformation and redevelopment, areas of the historic Rhyl Cut waterway have been improved, and the Maes Gwilym nature reserve has recently been created in Southeast Rhyl.”
Extra funding from the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme helped brighten up shopfronts and independent businesses too.
Meanwhile, private investment into the seaside town has also been gradually increasing.
New seafront hotels, including a Premier Inn and Travelodge, have opened to draw visitors back into the picture.
The iconic White Rose Shopping Centre recently went under the hammer and was snatched up at auction – opening the door to an exciting makeover.
The historic Queens Market – dubbed the “centrepiece” of Rhyl – is also getting a flashy shake-up.
The renowned site will become a modern food and events hub, with new retail space also added to tempt locals and tourists alike.
The council added that they had put “significant” investment into leisure and entertainment facilities.
An indoor waterpark and multi-level adventure course have created 65 new jobs for example, the council said.
The stunning Rhyl Pavilion Theatre has undergone a major £2.4million revamp.
Its new stylish bar and restaurant aim to boost the theatre’s appeal.
In 2023, Rhyl secured £20million from the UK Government’s Levelling Up fund.
A large share of that is being used to overhaul the “shameful” town centre which its own locals have called “so rundown“.
The money will also need to turnaround crippling issues such as “overflowing bins” and empty houses that become “drug dens“, which locals told The Sun about last year.
Crime and safety in Rhyl
Violence and sexual offences are the most common crimes in Rhyl, with 2,563 offences last year, giving a crime rate of 103.
This is 8% lower than 2022’s figure of 2,771 offences and a difference of 8.34 from 2022’s crime rate of 111, according to CrimeRate.
Rhyl’s least common crime is theft from a person, with 18 offences recorded last year down by 28% from 2022’s figure of 25 crimes.
Plans include smoother walkways, better links between the high street and the beach, and a greener, space along the infamous seafront.
Former levelling-up minister Jacob Young visited in January 2024 to see the work in progress, and said it was “heartening” to see how the project sought to improve the community.
It comes after a popular English seaside town was set to receive a major £30million overhaul to revitalise its “rundown” shopping centre.
The once bustling shopping mall in Cornwall was reportedly getting an incredible multimillion-pound renovation – to attract back millions of tourists ahead of summer.