Hospital regeneration ‘will boost local economy’

A NEW training centre that will help protect the derelict site of a former psychiatric hospital from vandals has been given the go-ahead.

Denbighshire County Council approved the scheme, the first phase of plans to regenerate crumbling ruins and grounds of the historic North Wales Hospital in Denbigh.

The development will include temporary site works offices, a construction training centre, a workshop and plant repair facilities.

It will be a hub for up to 35 apprentices to be trained annually by Ruthin-based Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK. The centre will provide accredited training courses in construction and plant operating skills,

During the construction phase at the site, 20 permanent staff will be based at the offices.

The council says increased on-site security will help deter vandalism at the former psychiatric hospital, which closed in 1995.

Opening the centre will mark the beginning of a long-term project to transform the neglected 19th-century building and its 20-acre grounds into a community of houses, shops and amenities.

Council leader Hugh James said: sion.barry@walesonline.co.uk “We want to ensure that the development of the site provides the most important listed buildings with a sustainable future whilst benefiting both the economy and local community in terms of jobs and housing.

“This planning agreement is only one part of the jigsaw and we look forward to seeing the full development plans for the site in the very near future.”