Residents of Rhosllannerchrugog have been shaping a draft placemaking plan for Wales’ largest village. The consultation has now closed. Its four objectives are guiding work across the village.
A Community-Led Vision
Rhosllannerchrugog Community Council developed the draft plan following months of local research and engagement with residents, businesses and community groups. It sets out four objectives. These include revitalising Market Street and celebrating the village’s cultural and heritage assets. Additionally, it aims to improve mobility and access and strengthen community leadership.
Officers wanted as many residents as possible to have a direct say. That way, decisions about real projects would stay in their own village’s hands. The consultation invited people to a drop-in session at the Stiwt. An online platform and hard copies of the plan were also available from Rhos Library and the Community Council office.
Cllr Geoff Foy, chair of the Community Council, said the draft plan represented a further opportunity for residents to contribute to the community’s future. He added that it offers the prospect of attracting funding from the UK Government to tackle problem areas and enhance the village’s many assets.
Funding for Physical Improvements
Any capital funding secured through the Pride in Place Impact Fund must be spent on physical improvements. This covers community spaces, public spaces or the high street. Consequently, that restriction has shaped much of the plan’s focus on Market Street and the wider village centre. Meanwhile, Rhos faces real challenges there, particularly along the high street.
Still, the plan also points to exceptional assets to build on. These include The Stiwt, a strong Welsh language and musical tradition, historic chapels and Ponciau Banks Park. The aim is to strengthen what is already there rather than start from scratch. The timing carries extra weight too, since the plan was published in the Stiwt’s centenary year.
Therefore, organisers hope the milestone will help draw attention to the village’s wider ambitions as funding decisions take shape. With the consultation period closed, priorities gathered from residents will now feed into funding decisions. Businesses and community groups also contributed to that process. The Community Council has said the process will continue to involve local people, rather than being decided behind closed doors.
Real Challenges
Rhos faces real challenges beyond the high street too, from ageing infrastructure to the need for better community facilities. The plan does not shy away from these issues. Instead, it frames them as opportunities to build on the village’s existing strengths rather than starting again from nothing.
Local leaders hope the plan’s community-led approach will set it apart from previous regeneration efforts. Because residents shaped the priorities themselves, the Community Council believes the resulting projects are more likely to reflect what people actually want. As funding decisions progress, further consultation is expected to keep residents involved at every stage, ensuring the village’s largest planning exercise in years stays true to its community-led roots.
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