Victorian Denbigh asylum flats plan given go-ahead

Plans to turn a former Victorian asylum that has lain derelict for nearly 30 years into flats have been approved.

The scheme to redevelop Denbigh's grade II* listed North Wales Hospital was approved unanimously by Denbighshire council on Wednesday.

The project could boost the area's economy by £75m and create 1,200 jobs, the council said.

The 50.6-acre (20.4 hectare) site has been plagued by arson and vandalism since the hospital was closed in 1995.

Council leader Hugh Evans said: "The recent history of the North Wales Hospital site has been a long and difficult one, but this is a key milestone on the journey to a better future for a building that has a special link with the town and its people.

"There are still other milestones to reach before work can start on the redevelopment and the restoration of the key buildings but this is a crucial step on the road to reintegrating this historic site with the town of Denbigh."

Before anything can happen, an agreement between Vale of Clwyd-based developers Jones Bros and the council must be signed.

That will place conditions on the development of the psychiatric hospital, which opened in 1848 and housed more than 1,500 patients by the 1950s.

The main building will be preserved under the plans and the 10-year project will see the central section of the hospital, which once employed 2,000 staff, converted into apartments.

There could also be shops, restaurants and a gym.

Elsewhere on the site as many as 300 homes could be constructed along with a pub, shop and a new ground for Denbigh Cricket Club.

Jones Bros' Helen Morgan, who is running the project, said: "This scheme can be a landmark development for Wales and, as well as providing a real community of high-quality housing for Denbigh, it will also deliver skilled jobs and apprenticeships, help develop local supply chains and provide a multi-million pound boost to the Denbighshire economy."