Llandudno heritage leader retires after 15 years

Oct 29 2009 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

THE man who over the past 15 years has played a pivotal role in preserving Llandudno’s heritage as a Victorian seaside resort is retiring this week.

And Peter Caldwell, managing director of landowners Mostyn Estates Ltd says he hopes he will be remembered principally for his efforts to make the town a better place to live, work and visit.

“Most of the land on which Llandudno is built is owned by Mostyn Estates and it was the family in the mid-1800s who saw the potential for creating a resort.

“The Mostyns took land which was mainly sand dunes and boggy marshland and turned it into a perfect example of a Victorian watering hole with elegant hotels, a wonderful promenade and wide tree lined streets and I have taken very seriously the need to ensure that heritage is preserved for future generations to enjoy.

“This is not the sort of place where people would expect to find casinos and sex shops and I have been strenuous in my efforts to ensure that doesn’t happen,” he said.

Over the years Mostyn Estates has come under occasional criticism for the strong stand it has taken on protecting the seafront and hotels from development which it feels is not in keeping with the Victorian heritage.

“Yes, we have been criticised, but I believe we have always acted in what we believe to be in the best interests of the town and I think we can be proud of all the positive things we have achieved to take Llandudno forward as a resort and retail centre,” he said.

In his 15 years at the helm he believes the main achievements include the creation of the Victoria Shopping Centre in Mostyn Street which replaced a dismal 1960s block of shops.

“This was my first involvement with Llandudno and the Mostyns, as I first became involved with the centre project when I was working for the Land Authority for Wales and worked with the then agent for Mostyn Estates, George Hiller in the 1980s to resolve issues surrounding tenants’ leases,” he recalled.

Next on his list comes the massive project to relocate Asda from its original site to land previously occupied by Ysgol John Bright and create the Parc Llandudno retail park.

“Asda had indicated that the original store no longer met its current trading patterns, and at the same time the situation for Ysgol John Bright was becoming dire. Although the original Edwardian building had stood the test of time, the ancillary 1950s and 1960s buildings were deteriorating badly and the school was no longer fit for purpose.”

He helped to broker a deal under a Private Finance Initiative whereby the school moved to new buildings on Conwy County Council owned land in Maesdu Road so that a bigger Asda store could be built and the retail park could open.

“That we got it done was amazing, all round I feel it has been a major success, with the school having state of the art facilities, Asda continuing to thrive, and new retailers like Debenhams and BHS being brought into the town.

“I know there has been some feeling that these have hit businesses in the town centre but I believe the main issue with regard to that is parking, and I would like to see the on street parking time limit increased to two hours to put it on a par with the two hours free parking available at the retail park,” he explained.

However, he is pleased that a scheme put forward by the Llandudno Development Partnership of which he is a member, is to be adopted by the county council. By next Easter it is hoped that illuminated signs will go up on the approaches to the town indicating where the car parks are and how many spaces are free in each.”

“I’m really pleased about this as I believe parking is a major issue both for locals and visitors to the town,” he smiled.

The upgrading of the town’s railway station into an integrated transport hub has been another pet project of his and he is pleased that progress is being made.

“Network Rail are working on the design and Arriva Trains and Arriva Buses have both been hugely supportive. We also have promises of funding from the Welsh Assembly and Westminster governments so it looks now as though it will happen,” he added.