Work has begun on the £1.3m visitor hub at Moel Famau, the highest hill in the Clwydian Range and the highest point of Flintshire. The project, initially expected to finish by summer 2026, has been extended to March 2028.
Project details and approval
In April 2025, Denbighshire Council’s planning committee approved the council’s own application for the 'Nordic Style' hub at the summit, a popular destination for visitors from Merseyside, often dubbed the 'Scouse mountain'. Plans were approved despite concerns about litter and the building's location in open countryside.
The visitor hub will include information and restroom facilities, ranger space, a café, and office space at the upper Bwlch Pen Barras car park. The council said the project was designed to manage high visitor numbers, which have risen to 300,000 annually, and enhance facilities at the North Wales beauty spot.
Phased approach and timeline
A spokesperson told the ECHO: “The Council is continuing to work with partners to progress the Moel Famau project. Due to the complexity of the project, it has been split into two phases, and the timescales for completion have been extended to March 2028, with the first phase working to get utility services to the site and the second focusing on the building itself.”
“Initial work has begun on both phases. Phase 1 will bring benefit to the site, supporting the offering able to be provided by the current temporary Shepherd Hut.”
Work to improve paths and trails has been delivered by the Sustainable Access and Recreation Team, including three visitor counters, improvements to access furniture, route surface improvements and reprofiling. Further planned works include accessible furniture installations, path grading and drainage works.
Funding and design
The project, financed by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund, will create a new accessible sloped path to the building and improve local cycling routes. The hub is designed as a “curved, single-story building designed to blend into the landscape, featuring an earth-mound roof covered in sedum plants”.
Denbighshire Council is working with TACP Architects on the project. The architects said: "This project seeks to enhance and improve Moel Famau, one of the busiest sites in the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape."
Moel Famau reaches 1,821 feet at its highest point, categorising it as a hill rather than a mountain. On a clear day, Liverpool can be spotted from the summit, and the hill is visible from Merseyside, signposted by the Aigburth street named Moel Famau View. The primary goal of the improvements is to establish a more permanent staff presence on site, assisting with the management of pressures from increased visitor numbers.
