Conwy preps for rising sea levels, moves to upgrade defences
Conwy County Council has approved a series of coastal defence improvements, geared towards protecting hundreds of properties from flooding.
The North Wales authority worked alongside Amey Consulting on the project, which will the scaling up of sea defences along Kinmel Bay Beach and Towyn Revetment.
This includes increasing the height of the sea wall by up to .75 metres in some areas, and reprofiling and raising the existing rock armour to hold back the waves.
Other proposed improvements include re-profiling the level of St Asaph Avenue car park entrance so that flood water returns to the sea rather than goes into the town.
Changes are needed, with a design and access statement by JBA Consulting, noting that waves frequently overtop the current flood defences. With climate change expected to lead to further rises in sea levels, the need to fix the situation is acute.
Amey Consulting’s plans will provide protection for a one-in-200-year flooding event up to 2041. It is projected that the sea defence upgrades will also help protect up to 2,289 properties by 2121, according to JBA Consulting.
In addition to the sea defence improvements, the project also includes public realm and parking improvements. Towyn Revetment will get a new parking area at its eastern end, complete with picnic tables and cycle parking.
The St Asaph Avenue car park, in addition to being re-profiled, will be turned into a “beachside hub for the community”, according to a council officer’s report. This will include adding rain gardens, EV charging points, a shelter suitable for art installations, a play area, picnic tables, and a toilet building.
Construction on the sea defence improvements is estimated to take a year, while the entire project – including the car park improvements – is set to take 16 months.
In addition to Amey Consulting and JBA Consulting, the project team included LDA Design.
You can learn more about the scheme by searching 0/50349 on Conwy County Council’s planning portal.
The ‘1 in 200 year’ flood risk frequency might in practice be rather higher nowadays. This area has definitely flooded in recent times, lastly in the 1980s I think, with hundreds of houses affected.
By WayFay
I support and applaud Conwy CBC for their positive approach in seeking to prepare for the inevitable.
By Barry D Bond
Good to know that flood precautions are being put in place to protect properties and holiday caravans
By Anonymous
All those lovely holiday islands in the Maldives neither seem to be disappearing under the Indian Ocean, nor taking much by way of precautions against flooding. Are sea-level rises not universal? Asking for a friend.
By Sceptical