Rhuthun / Ruthin

There can only be one possible explanation for last month’s strange markings that appeared on the Rhos Street carriageway outside Rhos Street School. That they coincided with a three-week long water leak was mere coincidence.

The glyphs actually emanate from Rhos Street School itself and therein is the answer to the conundrum: we at last have a potential buyer for the site and the coloured symbols are part of their initial site investigations. 

This is two years after the County Council marketed the site. Readers will recall that in 2019 Ruthin School was poised to purchase the site for, among others, its music department. Instead, the school governors had other things to think about and they dropped out. There was a further tender in 2020 but this, too, came to nought. 

Now, though, matters look much more positive for the site, one that we know has been the subject of considerable vandalism and a proliferation of buddleia. 

What do we know? 

Buddleia

The first thing is that we as yet have no idea as to what will happen there. It’s likely, though, that the site will terminate as housing. The Market Town of the Future 2019 update suggested that the site would make a good residential site and it’s hard to disagree with that conclusion. After all, it’s within walking distance of the town centre. It would be especially suited to older people, being close to the hospital and the soon-to-be relocated Mount Street Clinic. 

If housing, the developer will likely demolish the school building. Whether from an informed source or not, that’s been said on Facebook. Without demolition, how else would it be able to work on the site? Attempts to list the site have failed, as there are other better examples of a school of its type, kind and size. 

But demolition would be a bad idea. Althogh in my own opinion the much altered building is depressing, it does add to the whole area: similar stone fronted terraces and Capel y Rhos.  

Meanwhile, work continues on the extension to the hospital site, with the new Mount Street Surgery annex being used as a temporary entrance to the hospital, while the road into the site is widened and improved to include a new footway. 

UPDATE

We understand in 2019 there was one response from a developer. Now, there's more interest, from developers and from housing associations. The preferred buyer is Adra, but the sale is not completed. Adra (basically, Gwynedd council housing) is the one making investigations. 

Adra looked at site and considered keeping the building but this they felt was too limiting becasue, in Adra's eyes, otherwise, the site isn't sustainable. They may be able to reuse some of the stone in the development. 

It is also apparent that other redundant Denbighshire properties such as in West Rhyl have been left left un-vandalised... but Rhos Street, where there have bene break-ins, youths running amuck, smashed windows, etc.

It is understood that the Jehovah's Witnesses were previously a bidder, but only for the canteen.