Plans for the regeneration of communities along the North Wales coast, including the resorts of Colwyn Bay, Conwy, and Rhyl, Denbighshire, have received £20m from the Welsh Assembly Government.

It is hoped that the core funding for the first three years of the programme will attract further investment from other public and private sources, as well as supporting a number of key initiatives in the region to benefit local communities. The area - which stretches between Prestatyn, Denbighshire and Mochdre, Conwy - has been designated as a Strategic Regeneration Area (SRA) and incorporates a population of around 100,000 people.

Welsh deputy minister for regeneration, Leighton Andrews, said: "This is a substantial investment in Rhyl and Colwyn Bay, building on the investment already awarded under Convergence programme in North Wales a few months ago. It is vital that all organisations - public, private and third sector - work together to co-ordinate the necessary interventions to bring about change. "Just as vital is the engagement with the communities themselves and their buy-in because a positive attitude towards the regeneration process will significantly increase local capacity to bring about real benefits for today's residents and future generations."

The funding announcement has come nearly three moths after the Welsh Assembly and the European Union approved £38m for a four-year scheme to regenerate communities across the across the Môn a Menai and North Wales Coastal SRAs. That funding will be used to upgrade seafront facilities in both Rhyl and Colwyn Bay in a bid to increase tourism, while a range of historic and derelict buildings on the Isle of Anglesey will be restored in order to open them up for economic use.