An unintended consequence of the new schools seems to have resulted in footfall reductions in the town centre. Chatwin's staff report that takings are down as there are now fewer parents popping into town after delivering their children to the former sites. With an out-of-town development, it would seem that parents drive to and back from the schools.
Meanwhile, mid-April saw (totally uncontroversial) kerb flashes painted at and near the entrance top the two new primary schools; as work continued both within and outwith the site, on landscaping, a new controlled pedestrian crossing and frosting of the glass modesty fence along the perimeter parallel to the back of Denbigh Road and Y Parc housing.
The Feathers has knocked off its rendering but will be reapplying it. We aren't sure whether it was the intention to go au naturel but the brickwork has proven to be too fragile.
Ceffi, the costume jewellery and high end card shop opening in Well Street still isn't... opening. The conversion work's been going on for some while. No one inside can give a date. Meanwhile, the proporietrix of Siop Nain is displeased that they will be selling helium balloons in competition with her.
The council's car parks department has now separated Park Road car park into two halves, in a further move to thwart boy racers from performing so-called doughnuts within and the general anti-social behaviour resulting from evening and night time driving. The car park is now effectively two, without any means of driving from one to the other (without first leaving the car park). There's also a boxed off area in the corner by the coach parking bays.
If the residents of Park Road thought that the car park Lego would help (and it will), from this month, they also have to contend with something else. As we join the modern world and the 24-hour economy, Bridge Services has become Rhuthun/Ruthin's first ever 24-hour service outlet.
The former Greyhound Rescue shop on Clwyd Street has its windows misted over in preparation for an as yet unknown new tenant.
If the rumours are correct, Aldi is no longer interested in Rhuthun/Ruthin or at any rate the site opposite the Glasdir schools. This is assumed to do with badgers or, rather, the failure to get badgers moved to facilitate development.
Bocs Bwyd, the new lunchtime sandwich bar which opened last month at Wernfechan, has enjoyed an encouraging start but it appears that in spite of the overall quality of their products, people are reverting to the Bake House (on the industrial estate) or Leonardo's. There appears to be a Welsh-English thing going on, as well, with one cultural identity buying from one outlet and the other from, well, the other.
Rumour suggests after partition that the café side of Siop Nain will reopen again as a new... café. It will operate independently of the card business. Meanwhile, the quality of the food and service at the Craft Centre's Café R continues to go from strength to strength.
On the Hill has we hope only temporarily abandoned its refurbishment of the former Annie's site. This was to be a middle-ranger restaurant and even possibly a tapas bar. There has been no sign of activity there for weeks, now. Meanwhile, the troubled Nant y Felin, Llanrhaear, has again closed.
Barclay's Bank finished after close of business on April 20th and wasted no time at all in clearing out and taking down its signage. Thus ends a second chapter in Rhuthun's banking history. We never liked them anyway, because they never used an apostrophe : )
If the rumours are correct, Aldi is no longer interested in Rhuthun/Ruthin or at any rate the site opposite the Glasdir schools. This is assumed to do with badgers or, rather, the failure to get badgers moved to facilitate development.
Bocs Bwyd, the new lunchtime sandwich bar which opened last month at Wernfechan, has enjoyed an encouraging start but it appears that in spite of the overall quality of their products, people are reverting to the Bake House (on the industrial estate) or Leonardo's. There appears to be a Welsh-English thing going on, as well, with one cultural identity buying from one outlet and the other from, well, the other.
Rumour suggests after partition that the café side of Siop Nain will reopen again as a new... café. It will operate independently of the card business. Meanwhile, the quality of the food and service at the Craft Centre's Café R continues to go from strength to strength.
On the Hill has we hope only temporarily abandoned its refurbishment of the former Annie's site. This was to be a middle-ranger restaurant and even possibly a tapas bar. There has been no sign of activity there for weeks, now. Meanwhile, the troubled Nant y Felin, Llanrhaear, has again closed.