Concerns raised over Wrexham High Street regeneration plans

Last month, Wrexham Council said they were pleased to announce that work was to start implementing the "exciting" plans for the regeneration of the High Street and immediate surroundings.

The improvements include:

• The pedestrianisation of York Street / High Street / Town Hill and Abbot Street
• Creation of green spaces and tree planting
• Installation of new paving blocks, granite kerbing and street furniture

Following the results of the recent consultation exercise, the scheme has been extended to include Town Hill and Abbot Street.

An image of the proposed works (Image: Wrexham Council)

However,  a local business owner has concerns regarding disabled facilities. 

Steven Vale, of Caroline's in the city centre, has questioned how the works will impact disabled people's ability to visit the city centre due to lack of parking options. 

Currently, there are parking spaces on both side of the High Street for those with disabilities to use, but with plans to pedestrianise the area, they could be removed. 

Mr Vale added: "Wrexham Council is in love with active travel. They assume that everyone is young, fit and healthy with all day every day to stroll around Wrexham's sun-filled streets, with time to eat out in the cafe lined boulevards whilst enjoying the various street entertainment provided by the numerous talented street entertainers Wrexham is famous for.

"The truth of the matter is Wrexham is very much a working city, the inhabitants live on the periphery of the city centre, they work on the Industrial Estate and do not particularly want to spend their very limited recreation time trying to find a parking space in Wrexham centre when they can go to Broughton Retail Park or visit one of the numerous supermarket one stop shops.

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"Wrexham Council promised to bring its own workers back into town from the Industrial Estate, bring 200 civil servants into town but I have yet to see any evidence of this.

"Even the new job centre on Hope Street is earmarked for closure. Now the traditional customers that keep the remaining shops going are being targeted by those with rose tinted glasses with the proposed pedestrianisation and removal of the disabled parking facilities on High Street.

"Has it offered an alternative for the elderly or infirm? - No, it is an idea gleaned from an ideal that discriminates against the people who can’t participate in “active travel”.

"These are the last of a dying breed that keep shops like mine going, they like to see what they are buying, feel the quality of what they are spending their money on and appreciate the value of a good natter over a cup of coffee and cafe dinner."

Wrexham Council was approached for comment.