Burroughs was appointed by Denbighshire County Council to develop the design for a public realm improvement scheme to promote and enhance the four great highways of Llangollen and manage the implementation through to completion and handover. The scheme provides landscape and engineering improvements works to enhance access, biodiversity, and visibility to and interpretation of the Llangollen Canal and World Heritage Site, the former Ruabon to Barmouth railway line, the River Dee and Thomas Telford’s Historic Route: the London to Holyhead Road (A5) and associated active travel routes.

Burroughs have successfully led the design delivery and contractor procurement process through RIBA Stages 1-4 and are currently managing the construction delivery through RIBA Stage 5 with a demanding contract completion of June 2024 tied to the Levelling Up Funding requirements.  We have undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement early and continually through the process to understand and map out all the constraints and requirements and ensure they continually inform the design delivery and implementation. The scheme has been particularly complex with the site sitting on the edge of World Heritage site with Grade II Listed buildings and structures and the main public realm area sitting on the line of the previous railway line.  Overcoming challenges associated with building new structures close to the impressive Llangollen Bridge, known as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales, Burroughs engaged with CADW and other stakeholders to create a usable and practical design within the historical setting.

There has been a requirement to balance active travel design preferences whilst minimising impact on these heritage assets to obtain the necessary approvals from parties including Cadw, Natural Resources Wales and the DCC SAB.  An example being with the new access ramp structure between the road and the river being adjacent to the Grade II Listed Llangollen Bridge, known as one of the Seven Wonders of Wales, where we engaged with CADW and the WHS team as well as internal Conservation Officers to create a usable and practical design within the historical setting. Burroughs also gained SAB approval for the scheme with raingardens attenuating and cleaning the water before a slow release to the adjacent River Dee.

The project as a whole is a great example of a public realm and active travel improvement scheme which has benefited from a collaborative project team with the DCC client with integrated safety, sustainability and risk management throughout the design development and the consent approval stages. We have had excellent feedback from the DCC client and are on course to ensure successful completion ad handover of the scheme in June 2024 on programme and within budget.