November 09, 2026 - 278 views
Plans to demolish the long-vacant commercial buildings at Rhos Point in Rhos-on-Sea are due to be discussed with Conwy County Borough Council planners this week, as efforts to bring the prominent seafront site back into use continue.
Bleddyn Evans, the council's County Valuer and Asset Manager, who has been leading the administrative and planning work surrounding the site, is due to discuss the demolition proposals with council planners on Wednesday (November 11).
The council has already submitted a planning application seeking permission to remove the buildings, which have become an increasingly familiar eyesore along the promenade following years of neglect, break-ins and vandalism.
The Grade II listed tower at Rhos Point is excluded from the proposed demolition and would remain as an important reminder of the site's history.
Funding has been secured through the UK Government's Local Growth Fund to support the clearance work. The council believes removing the more recent buildings would help unlock the next stage of its plans and make it easier for its preferred development partner to bring forward proposals for the site.
Councillor Sharon Doleman, Conwy's Cabinet Member for Sustainable Economy and Communications, has previously said that clearing the site would make future redevelopment easier, although any proposals for its replacement would need to be considered through a separate planning application.
There is considerable history behind the seafront location. Rhos Point was once home to Rhos-on-Sea Pier, which extended approximately 1,400 feet into the sea and was built during the Victorian boom in seaside tourism.
The pier opened in the 1890s, attracting visitors and pleasure steamers to the North Wales coast. Its early fortunes were mixed, however, with the company behind the original development going bankrupt within a year. Local businessman William Horton subsequently took over and arranged for a landing stage to be installed, allowing paddle steamers to call at Rhos.
The attraction gradually lost its appeal as seaside tourism changed. The landing stage was badly damaged during a storm in 1917, and the loss of the steamer trade contributed to the pier's decline. Following a fire, the remaining structure was eventually dismantled in 1953.
One of the original toll buildings survived and remains on the site, while the commercial buildings now facing demolition are much more recent additions, having previously accommodated café and other business uses.
Conwy County Borough Council was already describing the café buildings as having reached the end of their useful life in 2018, when it began looking for a development partner to regenerate the location.
Various redevelopment ideas have been considered over the years, including proposals for a restaurant, coffee shop and other visitor facilities. However, progress has been slow, and the condition of the buildings has deteriorated.
The latest demolition application represents another attempt to move the project forward, with the council hoping that removing the vacant structures will help create the conditions for a new future for one of Rhos-on-Sea's most prominent seafront locations.
For a town with such a strong connection to its Victorian seaside heritage, the prospect of finally addressing the condition of Rhos Point will be welcomed by many residents and visitors. The challenge now is to turn the clearance proposals into a lasting plan for the site.
