Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter
A local council has been granted a huge injection of funding to support a historic theatre and transform its main high street.
Rhos has received £815,400 from the Local Growth Fund – the regional development grant programme that replaces the Shared Prosperity Fund – to support the next stage of an ambitious placemaking programme designed to improve the area and create new opportunities for residents, businesses, and the wider community.
The funding follows the development of a Placemaking Plan for Rhos, covering the Rhos Community Council area and the wards of Rhos, Johnstown, Pant and Ponciau.
Residents will be able to see those plans in detail for themselves on Wednesday, October 14 when they go on display at the Hafod Club on Broad Street between noon and 2pm and 6-7pm, when Wrexham County Borough Council officers wil be available to answer questions and provide further details.
The plan – which centres around Market Street – was designed to create a clear vision for the future of Rhos and a new Civic Leadership Group has been established to put it into action.
It will see access, parking and signage improvements, support facilities for young people and focus on Rhos’ Welsh-language culture as well as investment in the market.
The grant includes £236,500 for the Stiwt Theatre, which was funded by subscription by local miners and this year celebrated its 100th birthday.
Announcing the grant on the steps of the Stiwt, Deputy Leader of Wrexham Council Cllr David Bithell said: “This is probably one of the most significant amounts of funding Rhos has ever received.
“I’m delighted that £236,000 goes to the Stiwt which will also support Wrexham’s 2029 City of Culture bid.”
And Cllr Bithell made a further surprise announcement at the launch.
“On top of this funding one other announcement that we’ve got to make today is that we’re pleased to say that we’ve secured funding for the redevelopment of the Bonc Wen car park.
“It’s our main car park in Rhos and investing in improving it will be an added benefit for people coming into Rhos.
New leadership group
The new Civic Leadership group will work alongside Rhosllanerchrugog Community Council, Wrexham County Borough Council, businesses, community organisations, and residents to ensure that the opportunities presented by the funding are maximised.
As well as community councillors it includes Jamie Harris of stonemasons Marcher Stone, Grace Lockhart from Rhos Community Café, Kathryn Humphreys of DRH Fabrications and Nerys Jones, the acting Board Chair of the Stiwt.
Residents Paul Divall-Simmons, Terry Beattie – who is also a volunteer with Rhos Community Gardens and Alex Crow are also on the group.
After the presentation Cllr Bithell, who is chair of the Civic Leadership group, said: “This is fantastic news for local communities and represents an important step forward in turning our placemaking ambitious plans into reality.
“Local members have been working hard and we are grateful for the support of Rhos Community Council both in terms of funding and developing the Placemaking Plan.
“Having a clear plan has allowed us to effectively open doors to funding and demonstrate the our ambition that exists within our community. This is long overdue for the village.
“The £815,400 funding award gives us a real opportunity to make a massive difference to Rhos, and we want residents and the wider community to be at the heart of that work.”
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