'Ambitious' masterplan for World Heritage Site

The plan, for the Trefor Basin and surrounding area, which is part of the World Heritage Site at Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, has been put together by Wrexham County Borough Council, Solutia UK and Glandŵr Cymru – the Canal & River Trust in Wales.

The area is one of the most popular visitor spots in the region, attracting more than 300,000 people a year and the council says the plan is about improving the experience for tourists, and giving them more to do when they visit.

The council said that currently the number of things to do is "limited" and as a result it "does not deliver to its full potential in terms of encouraging longer dwell times and leveraging visitor expenditure to the wider area".

It says the proposal can be delivered in stages depending on commercial interest and available funding, and that the ambition is to create a "world class destination".

Under the plans there would be a new visitor centre to welcome people to the site, with more car parking, and potential commercial ventures such as a tree top walk, camping and glamping.

Mark Evans director at Glandŵr Cymru which looks after the canal and aqueduct, said: “We are extremely excited by the news that a long term vision is taking a step closer to realisation.

"It’s an ambitious plan which is set to benefit on so many levels – from the Welsh economy through to the people enjoying the iconic waterway, by boat or on foot.

"Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, which is one of only three World Heritage Sites in Wales, and Trevor Basin truly deserves this focus and we look forward to working with our partners on the next stages in the forthcoming months and years.”

In a joint statement Ian Bancroft, chair of the World Heritage Site Board and Terry Evans, the council's lead member for economy said: “It will be hugely important to the future management of the World Heritage Site and catalyst for transformation by creating a world class destination, in keeping with its status, to deliver a positive social and economic impact both locally and within the north Wales region.”

The next stage will see groups involved speaking to both the Welsh and English governments in an effort to get money for the proposals.

Solutia UK, the owners of the site that housed the former factory and makes up a significant part of the masterplan area, said: “We were very happy to work with Wrexham Council and the Canal & Rivers Trust in the development of the masterplan. The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a stunning piece of industrial architecture and this masterplan includes some exciting developments around it and in the surrounding communities."

Wrexham Borough Council said the plans could generate around £75.7m for the economy.

They have been drawn up over the past three years by Arcadis Consultancy and Stantec.