Pontins Holiday Park in Prestatyn, North Wales, closed its doors for good in November 2023 after more than 50 years of operation
Pontins Holiday Park in Prestatyn, formerly a thriving centre of family entertainment and treasured recollections, now exists as a neglected remnant of its past splendour.
The location, which featured its own private beach, swimming pools and children’s play area, shut permanently in November 2023 following more than five decades in business.
Since that time, the site’s destiny has remained unclear, with speculation about possible transformation into a fresh tourist destination or housing development circulating, though no concrete proposals have been revealed.
Photographs that have surfaced over recent years depict a grim view of the location’s present condition, with deteriorating buildings scattered across the area.
The abrupt shuttering of the park, alongside its companion site at Camber Sands in East Sussex, delivered a shock to the surrounding community, reports Wales Online.
Earlier this year, residents shared their aspirations for the site’s future with North Wales Live. Pete Davis, who operates a cleaning business that formerly worked with Pontins, said: “It ought to be used for something. I think it should be a holiday camp again. The council could issue a compulsory purchase order (to help that happen).”
A local voiced their wish for the location to function as a holiday camp once more, saying: “It’s empty and I’d rather it was a holiday camp again. We moved here in 1973 and it was never any trouble to us.
“I don’t want it knocked down for more houses as I don’t feel there are enough doctors’ surgeries and schools, not enough infrastructure to support them.”
However, a grandmother-grandson duo described the site as “decrepit” and an “eyesore”, adding: “It’s quite decrepit and an eyesore for the local community. Something needs to be done. It should be reborn as a holiday camp or used for modern apartments.
“Something needs to be doing to it otherwise it’s going to become a drug den or a place for flytippers.”
The demand for change isn’t solely from residents, with Prestatyn’s Mayor, Cllr Adrian West, voicing his wish for transformation: “I want to see the site brought back into some form of productive use again.
“For it just to be lying idle is doing nobody any good. I would not want it used for some sort of industry, given that it’s right next to the waterfront.”
He went on to detail how the former Pontins Prestatyn could serve as a catalyst for revitalising the town centre, drawing more tourists which would greatly boost local businesses, whilst simultaneously generating fresh employment prospects throughout the area.
Nevertheless, not all are mourning the park’s closure following more than five decades in operation.
One Tripadvisor reviewer stated: “Thank god this rancid filthy cesspit has shutdown. Awful, worn out and really dirty. and it needed knocking down years ago.”
Another visitor said: “As time has gone by all the rooms are filled with mold, vomit, worse than a dog kennel. It looks like a garbage dump,” while another admitted: “There are no words to describe how awful this place is. A prison cell would be preferable to the chalet.
“The areas outside are overgrown, potholes in the car park, pavements cracked and overgrown. Concrete on stairs broken, support for stairs rotten, nails sticking out.”