A £2.75 MILLION grant to protect Colwyn Bay homes, businesses and transport routes from the sea has been approved.
Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, announced the Welsh Assembly Government funding boost last week, which will go towards the first phase of coastal protection works in the town.
The initial phase of the Conwy Council’s coastal defence strategy, estimated to cost £5 million, has already been approved for £2.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund and work is expected to start on the project later this month.
The existing sea walls were built in the late nineteenth century and now protect heavily-developed areas of Colwyn Bay including residential and commercial properties plus the A55 Expressway and North Wales Coast Railway. Due to falling beach levels the defences have become increasingly exposed to storms resulting in increased damage and risk of failure.
The council’s defence strategy proposes to re-nourish the beach with sand and improve the sea walls.
This first phase is to build a 200m rock groyne to the east of the pier to contain the sand.
Ms Davidson said: “We will have to adapt to increased flood and erosion risk by employing a wide range of measures such as improving warnings and community resilience and how we plan for coastal change.