On December 15th, 2008, following no less than a 30-page Free Press advertising puff by Wrecsam council, I went to see what all the fuss was about. I found a town that was lively and forward-looking, one with a great range of facilities and shops.
2,500 days later, I went back. What a contrast. Even in the deepest, darkest days of the recession, Rhuthun/Ruthin was never as bleak as Wrecsam is today. There was a whole rank of empty shops bar two. This wasn't some marginal, fringe, out-of-the-way route, it was not far from the hub of the town, adjacent to British Home Stores. One of the occupied stores was the post office, somewhere you might expect to be something of an anchor, yet these days it attracts either few or the wrong kind of people; and the other was to let, with a short-term tenancy by the YMCA.
This was not the only street where shops were laid bare. Eagles Meadow, on the other hand, was at last full, even though footfall therein awalking was thin.
So, what's gone wrong? First, Tesco and Asda are both on the fringe of town and both are big, 24/7 stores. As we've said before, you can only spend your money once.
Secondly, during the 1990s and early 2000s, Wrecsam developed its commercial shopping economy by instigating or allowing new builds at Island Green, Henblas Square and Eagles Meadow. This at a time when the retail economy was expanding rapidly. But alas! Eagles Meadow did leave some large holes in town. These large shops are all now filled—although the huge T J Hughes store remains empty since its collapse in 2011—but instead others have gone bad. Since these developments, enter internet retailing in a big way plus a downturn and the town is suddenly downtrodden. Some might say it has reverted to type.
The other thing that's most noticeable about Wrecsam is the volume of tongues you hear. In the last 10 years, Wrecsam has become a truly bilingual town—and we're not talking Welsh. Eastern European languages are on lips on every corner, literally. I even entered a shop to hear a sales assistant using her mother tongue to help an East European couple.I'm not passing judgement, because there are arguments for and against; it's just a fact.
Compare this to Rhuthun. Over the same period, things haven't been easy here, either. But in Rhuthun, of the reliance on large, national chains there is little. Rhuthun has its empty shops, it is true but, during the 1990s and 2000s it never surged like Wrecsam so neither has it fallen like Wrecsam. Rhuthun is much the more stable economy. Rhuthun retains a dignity and self-respect that Wrecsam never enjoyed, then gained but has no longer.
So, what's gone wrong? First, Tesco and Asda are both on the fringe of town and both are big, 24/7 stores. As we've said before, you can only spend your money once.
Secondly, during the 1990s and early 2000s, Wrecsam developed its commercial shopping economy by instigating or allowing new builds at Island Green, Henblas Square and Eagles Meadow. This at a time when the retail economy was expanding rapidly. But alas! Eagles Meadow did leave some large holes in town. These large shops are all now filled—although the huge T J Hughes store remains empty since its collapse in 2011—but instead others have gone bad. Since these developments, enter internet retailing in a big way plus a downturn and the town is suddenly downtrodden. Some might say it has reverted to type.
The other thing that's most noticeable about Wrecsam is the volume of tongues you hear. In the last 10 years, Wrecsam has become a truly bilingual town—and we're not talking Welsh. Eastern European languages are on lips on every corner, literally. I even entered a shop to hear a sales assistant using her mother tongue to help an East European couple.I'm not passing judgement, because there are arguments for and against; it's just a fact.
Compare this to Rhuthun. Over the same period, things haven't been easy here, either. But in Rhuthun, of the reliance on large, national chains there is little. Rhuthun has its empty shops, it is true but, during the 1990s and 2000s it never surged like Wrecsam so neither has it fallen like Wrecsam. Rhuthun is much the more stable economy. Rhuthun retains a dignity and self-respect that Wrecsam never enjoyed, then gained but has no longer.
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