Caernarfon town centre to be given £2.4m boost

CAERNARFON town centre is in line for a £2.4m cash windfall.

Gwynedd Council has secured European Union funding to regenerate Caernarfon and has appointed consultants, Gillespies, to gauge the views of residents and traders to find the best way forward.

A series of workshops has already been held and a public exhibition is planned for Friday and Saturday in a marquee on Y Maes from 11am-4pm.

So far, the most controversial suggestion on what the money could be spent on is a reversal of the one-way system along Bangor Street which has caused woe for traders since its introduction in early 2008.

Other options being considered are an upgrade to Pool Street and Poolside, with a possibility of re-engineering the town’s main bus terminus.

The consultants are also looking at improving pedestrian links between the main shopping hubs; namely Y Maes, Pool Street, Bangor St, Doc Fictoria and the walled town area.

They will also look at traffic flow and management around Caernarfon and improving signage, especially to car parks, to cut unnecessary journeys.

The project has to be finished by 2013 or the council will lose out on the cash bonanza so work is expected to start no later than 2011.

In the meantime the council is keen to “learn the lessons” of the £2.4m Maes upgrade and the introduction of the one- way system along Bangor Street, by consulting access groups, residents and traders as widely as possible to come to an acceptable solution.

Blind groups in particular have castigated the council for introducing a “shared-space system” on the town square without taking into account almost any of their concerns about road safety issues.

The council’s town centre project coordinator Pat Jones urged local people to come along to this week’s public exhibition to give their views on how and where the money should be spent.

She said: “We need the input of the people who live and work in this area to make the best of the opportunity.

“These drop-in sessions play a vital role in the wider consultation process. Workshops will also be held with community groups and other organisations which have an interest in the town to obtain a wide spectrum of opinions and ideas.

“An exhibition of the initial plans following this process will go on public display in November.”

Bangor Street trader Wil Owen, from butchers OG Owen and Son said a reversal of the one-way system couldn’t happen quickly enough.

“The sooner they do it the better. At the moment this is a forgotten part of Caernarfon. I would like to see a change as soon as possible.”

Arfon access group secretary Vin West has cautiously welcomed the council’s decision to engage with various groups, which was in stark contrast to his experience of the Maes upgrade work.

He said: “Gwynedd Council seems to have learned its lesson by consulting with a wide range of organisations. It has been very positive at this stage but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating.”

He also hoped some of the money would be spent on improving the town’s Georgian era roofscape as well as its streets.

Council leader Dyfed Edwards added: “This is an exciting time for Caernarfon as we look forward to the next chapter for the town and its people.

“We are confident that improvements to the townscape will contribute to the vitality and viability of the town centre and strengthen investor confidence – from larger chain-stores to smaller, independent retailers. All this will make for a vibrant town we can all be proud of.”