Rhyl Regeneration: Greening Rhyl
About Greening Rhyl
The Green Infrastructure project, which has been funded through the Welsh Government Project Transforming Towns (external website) funding, has focused on developing and improving Green spaces in and around Rhyl Town Centre, to create new habitats, and provide ‘green corridors’ linking the town centre to biodiversity rich areas such as Brickfields Ponds, Rhyl Cut and Glan Morfa.
The schemes include for trees, hedging and a wild flower margin at Ffordd Las Playing Fields, Wild flower meadow and improved planting schemes to replace areas of the artificial turf at West Kinmel Street car park, the addition of trees and planting at Crescent Road car park, the opening up and planting to the front section of the former Multi Use Games area on Crescent Road and the addition of trees to improve the Community Food Growing area at this location, a green wall to the building on the corner of Wellington Road and Elwy Street and a planted area to the base of the London Plane tree outside the police station.
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The works planned for Ffordd Las Playing Fields have been completed other than the replenishment of some of the hedging plants this autumn. The works include a native species hedge to the perimeter of Ffordd Las Playing Fields adjacent to Ffordd Las and Marsh Road, and the inclusion of groups of trees with a wild flower meadow to the base.
General Arrangement Plan
The roadside fencing was retained and the fence to the inner side of the newly planted area provides protection to the planting.
The photographs below show the excavation of one of the tree pits, with gravel to the base to aid drainage, then a layer of soil, before the tree is planted. The tree is attached to the three stakes to provide stability, and the pipe shown enables the initial watering required to directly reach the roots, both of which help to get the trees established.
The images below show the ground preparation for planting, the area fenced off with the hedging installed and a completed section with the trees and the specialist soil and wild flower meadow seed mixture.
There was already an allotment area to the rear of this site, but the project provided an opportunity to transform this into a functional and attractive green space that can be accessed by all.
The photographs show some of the preparatory work for the tree pits and planters to the front section, the planter that was added to the front section, and a view from Gordon Avenue.
Wild flower meadow turf will be added to the base of the trees.
Two new planters were installed to the allotment area with some pleached fruit trees.
Denbighshire Countryside Staff and partners have been running weekly sessions at the site to improve communal areas, tend to the newly planted trees and wildflowers, and support local residents and community groups in their first growing season.
The scheme has focused on improving the planting and infrastructure around the trees that are already established at this site. The work includes new planters, and the replacement of the artificial turf with wild flower meadow turf.
The work has commenced and some of the planters are now installed, as shown below. In the autumn as the colder damper weather comes, the artificial turf will be replaced with wild flower meadow turf, and the other planter and works completed. The images below provide some indication of the progress made thus far.
This scheme has enabled the introduction of trees to the existing planted areas, and the refurbishment of the existing planting to provide for improved pollination, and climbers to provide some vertical interest and soften the fence line. An area previously covered in bark has been planted with wild flower meadow turf, which is under planted with bulbs.
There will be some further works to improve the wildflower meadow area this autumn, and next year with the new growth, there should be a good show of wild meadow flowers at this site.
Most of the schemes have been focused on increasing the number of trees/ canopy cover within the town centre, and the introduction of, and improvements to planting to improve habitats and pollination, but this scheme was about preserving an existing London Plane tree. The tree roots were close to the surface and pushing up the paving, which was an issue for the tree and the footway.
The paving around the tree was carefully taken up to avoid damage to the tree roots, and a new kerb surround was established adjacent to the main thoroughfare, and some additional substrate added to cover the tree roots. The improvements made will enable water catchment which will help the tree, and some grasses to the base of the tree has completed this scheme.
The photos below show the before and after.
Countryside Services have been watering and maintaining the schemes, to enable them to become established, and are keen to promote and support volunteering opportunities in the Town Centre, hence should you or anyone that you know be interested in becoming a Countryside Volunteer or a Community Champion please email amy.trower@denbighshire.gov.uk or make contact through Facebook (external website) or Twitter (external website).