Levelling Up Fund: St. Peter's Square

Funded by UK Government logo

Project background

Project background

This project is part of the Levelling Up funding to deliver projects that will protect Ruthin’s unique Heritage, wellbeing and Rural Communities. The theme is to improve connectivity for walking and cycling in and around Ruthin and complement investment in activities to boost its heritage and cultural value. The interventions proposed focus on public realm enhancements, widening the scope for hosting events and revitalising historical buildings and landmarks to support local identity, promote pride of place and boost the image of the town.

The proposals for St Peter’s Square include:

  • To remove the roundabout from the Square to create a flexible pedestrian zone which can be used for events and/or for café seating etc.
  • To improve the active travel offer between the Ruthin link road and the town centre by making Market Street one-way for vehicles, whilst retaining two-way active travel routes
Key points

Key points

This is a new project to deliver enhancements to St. Peter’s Square

The project compliments the restoration of the clock tower in Ruthin and the improvements proposed for Cae Ddol Park

The construction contract is set to be tendered shortly

Work is set to commence July 2024

The project is due to be completed by March 2026

Current position

Current position

Draft designs have been developed and a public engagement exercise is now underway.

Gallery

Gallery

Artist impressions before/after of St Peter’s Square:

Current layout of St. Peter’s Square

Current layout of St. Peter’s Square

3D (CGI) visualisation of the proposed layout for St Peter's Square:

Proposed layout for St Peter's Square

The current layout of Market Street between St Peter's Square and the entrance to Market Street car park:

Current layout of Market Street between St Peter's Square and the entrance to Market Street car park

There are two possible options for the road layout of Market Street:

Option 1: (Informal Street):

Option 1: (Informal Street)

Option 2: Contraflow Cycle Lane

Option 2: Contraflow Cycle Lane

Consultation

Consultation

The consultation has closed, thank you very much to everyone who participated.

We received 400 responses which are being reviewed.

Consultation report summary

Thank you very much to everyone for their participation in the recent consultation, it has been gratefully received by the project team.

The report summarises the engagement activities carried out so far as well as the feedback received regarding the proposals, which has been collated by OneDay, our engagement consultant. The results of the consultation will now be shared with our designers to help inform the detailed design for both schemes.

Ruthin Public Realm Improvements Consultation Report Summary

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are changes being proposed for St Peters Square, and some of the approach routes?

The ‘Ruthin Future Working Group’ of Ruthin Town Council Town Council developed and consulted upon a long-term vision for Ruthin, and this was used to support the LUF funding application in respect of St Peter’s Square.

The following objectives were identified as part of the vision for the town centre:

  • To discourage vehicles using the town as a through route, and to calm speeds of traffic within the town centre
  • To maintain vehicular access, and parking provision in the town centre
  • To Improve on-street loading / drop off / disabled parking
  • To provide wider and safer pedestrian and wheeled users’ access
  • To create adequate space for community events to happen without any road closures

Why have you removed the roundabout and altered the road layout?

The roundabout was removed to make room for an events space within the town centre, and this required the redesign of highway route through the town centre.

The new road layout aims to support those who use the town, and to discourage through traffic.

An active travel route has been included on the steeper section of Market Street, so that cyclists are not under pressure from vehicles when travelling up the hill.

Well Street is too narrow to provide for two-way traffic and pedestrians. Making it one way to traffic will make it safer for pedestrians and vehicles and enables some on street parking.

Changes to the junction at Clwyd street provide more space for delivery vehicles to turn, and provides wider pavements for pedestrians, and a crossing point.

Could other streets be looked at instead or as well as those proposed?

Denbighshire County Council has a set amount of funding for the project and is contracted to UK Government for the delivery of funding outputs.

The scheme proposed has considered the vision for the town centre and will deliver on the funding outputs required, which include improved cycle ways, improved pedestrian paths, and the events space will create a new area of public realm area.

Why have you introduced an active travel route to Market Street and why only the top section?

The longer-term ambition is to provide an active travel all the way up Market Street from the Briec roundabout to the town square.

We have used the Levelling Up Funding to support the inclusion of the upper section of the route to enable the connection to be made into the works proposed for the square, to avoid future disruption.

The design approach and consistent use of materials within the upper section of Market street, will help to define the pedestrian route to the town centre.

The lower section of the active travel route will be included within a future bid for funding from Welsh Government’s Active Travel grant funding scheme in due course.

What is the purpose of the raised table in the road?

Raised tables help motorists to know that they are within a pedestrianised area and encourages them to slow down and have greater awareness.

With the reduced kerb height shown, it provides ease of access for pedestrians between the events space and the area of the Old Court House/Well Street and Castle Street

Are you maintaining the existing number of car parking spaces in the town centre

Our intention is to retain as many existing parking spaces as possible.

It is believed that there are medieval remains in the town. How will you prevent any disturbance or damage to artefacts?

Denbighshire County Council’s conservation officer and a local historian has made us made aware of the presence of medieval remains. The scheme proposed will be reviewed in respect of likely sites of historic interest, and an archaeological watching brief will be undertaken whilst any excavation works are taking place in these areas.

Will access to the town centre be maintained for businesses during the works?

There will inevitably be some disruption during the construction phase. We are encouraging all businesses to share their views at this early stage, so that we can take on board their concerns when we review the phasing of the construction works. This will help to inform the way in which we need to do the works and the notice periods and communication that we need to provide to businesses.

How will you avoid any loss of trade, as people may choose to shop elsewhere if it is hard to access the town.

The construction works will be designed to ensure that there is some access to the town centre at all times. There may be delays due to the necessary traffic management controls, and it is acknowledged that this may deter some people from using the town as frequently.

Will the project compensate businesses for loss of earnings?

No, the funding has been secured for the delivery of the scheme proposed, and there is insufficient funding to consider or administer any compensation scheme.

When will work start on this project?

Construction is due to start on site in September 2025. No works will commence before Gwŷl Rhuthun has taken place at the end of June.


Contact Us

Please contact levellingup@denbighshire.gov.uk highlighting the project of specific interest and we will pass this on to the relevant project manager.