It is hoped a new road linking the port with the town centre will help stimulate the area's economy.

It's going to take about 10 years for all the plans for the town to be realised, but things are definitely looking up Barry Ashworth, shopkeeper

Under the scheme, a new coach and car park will be built on Victoria Road, enabling ferry passengers to have easy access to the town centre and its shops.

The funding is part of a �2.5m settlement given to Anglesey council by the Welsh Assembly.

Previously, anyone going through the port would park in the terminal, and would be unlikely to visit the town.

To encourage people to walk to the shops, a footbridge will be constructed between the car park area.

The council's Highways, Transportation and Property portfolio holder, Keith Thomas said the aim of this development was to regenerate the town.

"At the moment all the traffic goes through into the port and bypasses the town," he said.

"Now, we hope people who have an hour or so to spare while waiting for the ferry could wander into town via the footbridge.

"If we get only 10% of the passengers who come to Holyhead to catch a ferry, it will mean a significant boost to the economy," he said.

Shop reaction

The development is likely to take two years to complete.

The plan also includes a roundabout at the lower end of Victoria Road, which will lead to the railway station and adjacent Port terminal building or the town itself.

Retailers say the town is run-down

The footbridge will join the high street at the site where the Chocolate Box newsagent now stands.

The shop's owner Barry Ashworth said that, even though he would have to move, he saw it as a move to regenerating the town.

"New shops have been reluctant to come here in the past but maybe now they will be more likely to choose Holyhead," he said.

"It's going to take about 10 years for all the plans for the town to be realised, but things are definitely looking up," said Mr Ashworth.

Reservations

Glyn Williams from the Seventy Nine tavern said he had some reservations about the new road.

"I'm not sure whether the new road will drive people out of the town more quickly than it draws people in," he said.

"And people will only cross the bridge if there's anything the other side of it.

"The town itself needs help too because things are very gloomy here now - it's a bit of a chicken or the egg situation, " he added.

The development complements Stena Line's investment in improving the infrastructure of the Port which includes extending the railway line to nearby Salt Island.

The remaining �721,000 of the grant will be used for a cycling and pedestrian improvement scheme in Llangefni and a Safe Routes to Schools scheme.