A £6m investment is bringing enterprise back to this quay site. Owen Hughes reports
ANEAR derelict group of historic quay buildings – once dubbed a “bloody mess” by Prince Phillip – are in the process of a massive redevelopment set to put enterprise back into the site.
Cei Llechi/Slate Quay was once at the heart of Caernarfon’s slate trade with the mineral arriving by train from Dyffryn Nantlle and shipped around the world.
But over recent decades it had fallen into disrepair and its owners, Caernarfon Harbour Trust, admitted it had become an “embarrassment”– especially as it lay in the shadow of Caernarfon castle.
The trust was keen to transform its future and eventually secured nearly £6m to turn the site into manufacturing and retail units, alongside a café and holiday properties.
Work is now well under way and the ambition is to have 19 enterprises in the buildings by next spring – giving the ventures a place to both create and sell their wares.
Where possible, buildings have been retained and restored, although some demolition and rebuild work has been required.
It will transform that part of Caernarfon – linking the new Welsh Highland Railway station with the town centre and the castle.
Ioan Thomas, Caernarfon Harbour Trust’s chair, said: “For the Harbour Trust these buildings were an embarrassment – it was embarrassing for the town as well, especially so close to Caernarfon castle.
“Apparently when Prince Phillip came to Caernarfon he asked ‘what’s that bloody mess?’ when he saw the buildings. We could have taken them down but there was a lot of history there.
“We were told about a Heritage Fund for projects that combined restoration
with enterprise to bring buildings back to life, back into commercial life.”
They secured £3.6m in Heritage Fund support and more than £2m from Welsh Government Regeneration funding, Visit Wales, Cadw and Cyngor Gwynedd Council.
Mr Thomas is looking forward to seeing the final result, with Denbighshire developer Grosvenor Construction Ltd – who did the restoration of Yr Ysgwrn, Hedd Wyn’s home near Trawsfynydd – carrying out the transformation.
The handover of the buildings is due to take place in February.
There are 19 units to fill and it is hoped this will be done by the spring with the potential for up to 70 workers to be based there.
Mr Thomas said: “We want the place to be vibrant.
“We now hope this will also be the catalyst for St Helens Road to also be regenerated, with a lot of potential there.
“The challenge is always what to do next – you can’t stand still.”
The new development will be managed on behalf of the Harbour Trust by Galeri Caernarfon Cyf, who are also acting as project managers during construction.
This investment follows that at the heritage railway station and at Galeri itself, where a state-of-the-art cinema was added to the arts centre.
In total it works out at investment of around £15m in the quay areas of the town.
Gwyn Roberts, chief executive at Galeri Caernarfon, said there had already been 15 expressions of interest from people wanting to come to the site.
He said: “Whenever people do something new there are sceptics but we are already seeing very strong interest in the site and I can only see this increasing as people see the buildings take shape over the coming months.
“The idea is that people use the units to manufacture their goods and sell them – this is not just a place where people buy things in to sell.
“This retains that working craft heritage at this site.
“We even hope to get a blacksmith here as there is still a forge here from the Brunswick ironworks.
“What I am pleased about is the number of local young entrepreneurs who have been in touch.
“There is now a new confidence with young people.
“I hope we are fully occupied by the time we open in the spring.”
One potential occupier is Tony Green of the Red Boat Ice Cream Parlour, which started in Beaumaris.
He is in talks about manufacturing and selling ice cream from a unit, as well as moving into making chocolate.
He said: “This is a fantastic site, it would be ideal for us to make and sell gelato.”
As well as the forge, there will be other heritage items at the site.
This includes the last salmon boat in Caernarfon that was found by Alun Lewis Jones and donated to the group.
The late Mr Jones, a boat builder, wrote a book on the salmon fishing trade that took place from the quay and the boat will be hung in one of the rooms.