THE first pieces of steelwork have gone up at Rhyl’s new waterpark .

Cranes and construction crews are busy working on the £15 million attraction being built on the former skate park and Drift Park site on West Parade.

The waterpark, expected to open in 2019, will include a 1,200-metre-square water space with indoor and outdoor flume rides, a children’s water play frame, a play zone, climbing facilities and a sun lounge area and cafe terraces.

There will be beach-style cabanas in the outdoor splash zone and a bar and terrace to cater for evening trade.

Councillors and developers believe the new year is the perfect time to start looking ahead and the waterpark is just one of a number of developments which are set to transform the town.

Rhyl’s Premier Inn hotel development is expected to open early this year on the former Honey Club site.

The development includes a 70-bedroom hotel, with parking spaces for 71 vehicles and a Cookhouse Restaurant and Pub facility. More progress is expected this year on Marina Quay; work is happening on the Range and Aldi is to move from its existing building on Wellington Road to a new, bigger store on the site.

The development of a 73-bedroom Travelodge hotel and Marston’s family pub/restaurant on East Parade car park is on track and is scheduled to open in September.

Cllr Barry Mellor said: “This year will be the catalyst and the rebirth of Rhyl as a holiday resort. The waterpark has got off the ground – a building like that will go up pretty quickly, it is inside that takes work.

“The Premier Inn has been something of an off/on saga.

“We ran in to problems with the pavement outside but it is almost there now.

“The Cookhouse and Pub is an exciting development, customers will be able look through to the kitchen and see their food being cooked.

“Work on the new skatepark will probably start in March.

“This is going to be a professionally-built skatepark, so I think people will be quite pleased with that.

“It will be built on a section of the East Parade Bowls Club.

“The underground car park is also going to be refurbished. It will have a lot more light and pedestrians will be able to walk out to the sky tower and waterpark.”