Rhyl’s £28m sea defences backed by council

The sea defences, set to be built by Balfour Beatty and protect 1,650 properties from flooding, are due to secure approval from Denbighshire Council next week.

The plans, which cover a stretch along Rhyl’s promenade between Splash Point and the Rhyl Golf Club include increasing the height of the existing sea wall and installing rock armour to protect the area from flooding.

The investment is in response to the 2013 floods in the area, when 140 properties were impacted and hundreds of residents were evacuated.

The scheme will be designed with rock armour to dissipate the impact of storm waves and extend the design life of the sea wall; the defences will be designed to significantly reduce the risk of flooding to the town over the next 100 years.

Existing inshore walls and flood gates, as well as storm water storage, will all be retained as part of the proposals.

Funding will come from the council and the Welsh Government; plans have already been approved by Denbighshire’s cabinet, but will need to be approved by a full council meeting before progressing further.

A consultation was held last year. Balfour Beatty has previously delivered the North’s largest flood defence scheme at Blackpool, Rossall, and the Fylde Peninsula, in a £63m project which was completed in June 2018.

Cllr Brian Jones, Denbighshire Council’s cabinet lead member for waste, transport and the environment, said: “We have made a firm commitment in our Corporate Plan to take action to prevent flooding in this part of Rhyl. Reducing the risk of flooding to homes and businesses through effective flood risk management, including investment in this flood and coastal defence scheme, can play a large role in delivering this ambition.

“The storm served as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of the coastal flood defences in East Rhyl. There has also been erosion of existing defences over the years and there is always a risk of the defences failing.  There are also concerns that the impact of climate change could see sea levels rise and increased frequency of storms could also increase the risk of flooding.

“That is why we are proposing a scheme that would significantly reduce the risk of flooding to homes and businesses and offer some peace of mind to those residents who were affected in the 2013 floods”.

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