'Sleeping giant' Holyhead can rise again and be a powerhouse port

RICHARD WILLIAMS

- Andrew Forgrave reports

An aerial view of Holyhead, Anglesey

BY THEIR nature, ports are often transient places. Getting people to stop and spend is a problem Holyhead has been wrestling with for decades - and it's still a struggle.

Over the years, money has poured into Holyhead and critics complain it's made little difference. Local people moan investment has been misdirected or misguided, leaving the town with some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in Wales.

In 2022, Anglesey council conceded Holyhead town centre was "failing its community.

Everywhere, shops were closed and boarded up. Around a quarter of the town's 224 commercial premises were vacant and low rents often made refurbishment unviable. Moreover, 13 of its buildings many historic were classed as "eyesores".

Property blight may have deterred visitors but Holyhead's ability to attract spending is more deep-rooted.

A recent visitor from Shropshire was shocked by what she saw. "Holyhead town centre is one of the worst I have seen for decline," she said online. "It's happening everywhere but to see the town centre in such a poor state was heartbreaking."

Not everyone agrees. Money is currently being spent on the town to make it more appealing and some visitors love what's been achieved.

Following the council's Paint the Town initiative, which smartened up several buildings, a Chester woman was bowled over by what she saw.

"I recently passed here and was blown away by the pretty high street," she said. "We ate in a fab cafe, bought lovely produce at the market and really enjoyed discovering the area. A real improvement from the last time we popped there."