PLANS to refurbish a vacant property on Rhyl’s High Street and create two new apartments inside it have been given the go-ahead.

The proposals, submitted by Denbighshire County Council officers to the local authority’s own planning committee, were approved yesterday (November 5).

They concern 58 High Street, which was formerly a Holland & Barrett shop and is described in the planning application as a “prominent building that fronts the high street in Rhyl”.

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An internal refurbishment will take place, while the rear kitchen and toilet area of the ground floor will be demolished, and a rear extension added.

While the ground floor of the property will remain retail space, the council will build a one-bedroom apartment on each of the two floors above this.

Extracts from a design and access statement read that the plans form part of the council’s “wide regeneration of Rhyl High Street”.

It added: “The layout design of each apartment is to reflect modern living, with open-plan kitchen/diner/lounges and utility rooms in each apartment.

“This building has been empty for between two and four years. The potential retail tenants are limited.

“The larger retail outlets that have tenanted this size of property previously now seek out-of-town locations.

“For this reason, the proposal to keep the use of the upper floors to residential not only encourages economic activity, with more people living in the town centre ,but allows the retail units to be economically viable for the potential tenants.

“This will bring them back into use and improve the visual amenity of the High Street.”

When consulted on the application, Rhyl Town Council, Natural Resources Wales, and Denbighshire County Council’s highways department raised no objections.