Plans for electric sea gliders to fly tourists into north Wales resort
Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter
Electric-powered sea gliders could be used to glide tourists into Llandudno from Liverpool.
The idea is just one of several proposals backed by Conwy County Council in its 10-year plan for the seaside town to help target external funds such as pots of money available from Welsh Government.
The council report lists the sea gliders – together with a revitalised paddling pool, an outdoor event space at Bodafon fields, cruise-liner routes, cultural events, and options to restore sand to the North Shore Beach – as part of its plot to revitalise the town.
Conwy’s economy and place overview and scrutiny committee met at the council’s Bodlondeb HQ to discuss Llandudno’s 10-year regeneration plan, a report of over 130 pages documenting how the town can be reinvigorated.
Also backed at the same meeting was the Conwy Destination Management Plan.
The plan outlines ideas that could make Llandudno a distinctive and desirable place to live, invest, do business, and visit.
The report says the plans, projects, and initiatives listed within it are aspirational and that external funding will be sought to deliver them.
Cabinate
Cllr Louise Emery said she had been told the rate of vacant shops in the town was now under 5% and was excited about the plans.
“We have to hold on to the fact that Llandudno is an incredibly popular place,” she said.
“Yes, it does look a bit tired at the edges. Yes, we can provide a better visitor amenity, more toilets, wi-fi, etc. I feel very hopeful because we’ve got some crazy ideas. I love the electric-powered sea gliders to Liverpool and back.
“But within those crazy ideas there’s also really genuine projects.”
She then said more could be done to work with outside investors, the town council, and community groups.
She added, “I feel really positive that we will go out and get this money with the whole community together. Brilliant report.”
Cllr Tom Mongomery said, “It is about working with private businesses to achieve a lot of this. I think it’s a great report. It’s great to see so much opportunity for Llandudno.”
Cllr Goronwy Edwards is Conwy’s cabinet member for roads and facilities and said rail links into the town needed to be improved.
Cllr Goronwy Edwards said, “Llandudno is a very important part of Conwy’s infrastructure and attraction. But certainly as far as Llandudno, I would like to see our AMs and MPs pushing for the Network Rail and the rail companies of this country to look at Llandudno again.
“We know that Virgin introduced a service that came into Llandudno and an awful lot of money was spent on the station. It is unfortunate that still most of the visitors come into Conwy via car or coach. Let’s try and get a better service directly into Llandudno.”
The report will now go to cabinet.
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Air/Sea Gliders, perhaps you could expand on the design of the craft or is this just new terminology for a well tried form of transport. Ask any Air Sea Rescue pilot of a Catalina, Sunderland or Walrus of the uncomfortable experience of taxiing an over-loaded Flying Boat back to base on the open sea… Modern winged yachts are capable of astonishing speeds and the lift forces of the small ‘aerofoils’ used by wind surfers are almost unbelievable I advocated for electric powered ‘around the island’ passenger vessels to work with the cruise industry to provide a unique experience to keep… Read more »
For those interested in this idea and local Ynys Mon history google Catalinas on the Menai Straits and Saro Llanfaes/Beaumaris…Saunders Roe as it was known as originally…
Do you know what would help Llandudno? …not being treated like a criminal by Venue Cymru security staff and not being charged in excess of ten pounds for milkshakes that taste exactly like some semi-skimmed with a blob of Tesco Basic Ice Cream in it. THAT would probably encourage people from Cymru to actually go there too…. …The best thing that ever happened in Llandudno was last year, I was there wandering, smoking, thinking, and contemplating… and my cogitations were interrupted by some loud Cockney-sounding yob moaning about “blaadddie Welsush”. I filled my pipe in an effort to drag my… Read more »
Odd innit that people – visitors, tourists, holiday makers, campers – call them what you like, turn out to be such utter Wanchors. I could never understand nor tolerate the Brits we sometimes bumped into in the Med countries who moaned at length about the lack of British food or the pi55 poor English spoken by natives who had the misfortune to to serve or wait upon them. Seems like a predominantly Anglo Brit dysfunction with no known cure.
Not a cure, but perhaps a slight alleviation of symptoms, would be to stop promoting over-tourism.
Sadly, Welsh tourism seems over dependent on the bottom end of the market which serves a huge slice of the visitors from beyond Y Clawdd.
Can’t understand why tourists come to Wales I have always found it cheaper and better quality to venture further afield.
We sow what we reap.
How can it “predominantly Anglo Brit” when Wales records the lowest take up of modern European languages in the UK?
Your question is misplaced without going any further into the issue of acquisition of fluency in second or third modern languages. The main rejection of second language fluency arises among monoglot English speakers resident in Wales at both school age and later in adult life. Back to context, my reply to Sally Anne referred to the nature of the beast that frequently turns up at Llandudno and most other seaside towns and villages. My reply to Rhufawn was a point about the overdependency on “bottom end” custom among which you will find many who have great difficulty grasping the basics… Read more »
I’ll tell you what would do the whole of Ynys Mon and Gwynedd a big favour…get rid of the Baroness…’for God’s sake put an end to this torture…
The “fetching bib kind of thing” is called a salwar kameez.
They talking about a ground effect vehicle? Russian built a few as a troop carrier in the 80’s and worried the west somewhat. Not new technology but works. Look up Caspian Sea Monster and Ekranoplan. Maybe some milage in it.
Did they not try that with hovercraft to Rhyl in 1966? An idea that doesn’t stack up since there will not be enough people willing to pay the premium prices needed to support such a ferry, which is what it will be.
You could have a hydrogen powered paddle steamer, that would be novel…
.. and possibly explosive ! Still, some people might pay for that kind of experience.