At Denbighshire Council’s partnership scrutiny committee, councillors were updated on progress of the North Wales Regional Partnership Board (NWRPB) and its annual report. Amongst the discussions was the future of the now derelict North Wales Hospital, which has been empty since 1996. The NWRP and council are spearheading the multi-million-pound redevelopment of the site, which will include as many as 300 new homes and business units. But councillors were told that rare species, such as roosting bats, and potential asbestos contamination in underground tunnels were slowing progress. Denbighshire Council’s cabinet rubberstamped the first phase of the £107m redevelopment of the former North Wales Hospital in January.