DEMOLITION of the building which housed the SeaQuarium attraction on Rhyl’s promenade will now start in the new year.

SeaQuarium closed for good last November, and attributed its decision to Denbighshire County Council’s Central Rhyl Coastal Defences Scheme, the development of which is taking place by the site.

The building has now been boarded up, with demolition initially due to have started in October and be complete in January.

Instead, the start of the demolition has been put back to January.

A council spokesperson said: “The local planning authority has now agreed to the demolition of the building, and building regulations will now be followed to ensure the appropriate method for its removal.

“Demolition work is currently forecast to begin in early January. This will allow the work to be completed without disruption during the holiday break period.”

In October, a planning application was submitted by the council to its own planning committee seeking prior approval to demolish the building.

Last week, the Journal reported that the council paid SeaQuarium’s owners £195,000 as part of a financial settlement.

The total settlement which SeaQuarium received amounted to £1,335,500 - the remaining £1,140,500 was paid by Welsh Government.

In February, meanwhile, it was revealed that the council spent £90,000 on relocating SeaQuarium’s six seals.

Balfour Beatty, the contractor currently working on Rhyl’s coastal sea defence scheme, is overseeing the demolition of the SeaQuarium building.

In total, “three local businesses” expressed an interest in taking on the building formerly occupied by SeaQuarium, but none subsequently pursued their interest in it.

The attraction welcomed in excess of 80,000 visitors each year, and employed more than 20 people.

SeaQuarium of Rhyl Ltd agreed to be wound up voluntarily at a meeting on October 7, with Roderick Butcher, of Birmingham-based company Butcher Woods, appointed as liquidator of the business.

A declaration of solvency document, published on SeaQuarium of Rhyl’s Companies House page on October 15, stated that the company has £21,828 in outstanding debts, but £1,256,435 in assets.