North Wales seaside town named UK’s least fashionable and given cruel nickname

Rhyl was named the least fashionable seaside town A seaside town in North Wales was named the UK’s least fashionable and slapped with a cruel nickname – but even the locals agreed with the assessment. The local council tried to hit back at the Telegraph’s searing takedown of the small town, but its own residents appeared to agree with the description of it as having “no past, no arts or entertainment, no fun”. The once-thriving town of Rhyl earned a place at the bottom of the outlet’s seaside town rankings, and was described as the “Costa del Dole”. In its review, the paper said the town was cut adrift by the rise of cheap package holidays in the 1970s, adding: “North Wales’s oldest pier was demolished in 1973, the domed Pavilion theatre was razed the following year. “Efforts to make Rhyl a desirable destination – the Sun Centre in 1980, White Rose Shopping Centre in 1984, a museum and library complex in 1986 – have failed. “The Ocean Beach funfair closed in 2007. A Sky Tower ride was decommissioned. There were plans to make it a light show; it’s now a pay-and-display car park. “No past, no arts or entertainment, no fun: gentrification is not suited to all seaside towns but Rhyl – once unfortunately dubbed the ‘Costa del Dole’ and, on one occasion, ‘Blackpool after a neutron bomb’ – is how not to do things.” Nearly £25million is being spent on the town centre as part of the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns initiative, as the resort attempts to redefine itself. And the town’s local council stood up to its defence from the brutal review. The review claimed that tourists stopped visiting Rhyl after being tempted by deals abroad Cllr Jason McLellan, who was elected Leader of Denbighshire County Council last May, listed several redevelopments at the town, including “a new harbour, new leisure facilities such as SC2 Waterpark, a newly renovated Pavilion Theatre and the creation of the new 1891 Restaurant. In addition, national chains have built new hotels in Rhyl. “There is a new housing and a community park as well as businesses like Pro Kite Surfing, an excellent facility that attracts kite surfers from all over the UK, who have invested in the Kite Surf Café.” But rather than leaping to his side, many of the town’s own residents disagreed with Mr McLellan and felt the town deserved its cruel moniker. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Rhyl’s own residents said it needed a lot of work Trending