A controversial one-way system along Rhos-on-Sea promenade was voted through by a Conwy scrutiny committee before a final decision will be made by cabinet.

Conwy County Borough Council’s economy and place overview and scrutiny committee discussed proposals for a new traffic system.

The traffic system is part of a £14m coastal defence scheme, which will see the promenade widened, sand added to the beach, and a one-way system introduced on the West Promenade for traffic travelling towards Colwyn Bay.

But whilst the lower promenade will be reduced to a single lane, the Cayley Promenade road along the embankment will remain two-way, increasing the amount of traffic on the stretch.

This has angered residents who fear the area will be overrun by cars, causing pollution and noise.

A final decision will be made by the cabinet on November 8, but councillors at the scrutiny committee debated the issue, choosing to back the officers’ recommendation, throwing out a counter-proposal from Cllr Louise Emery for ‘a one-way loop’ on both roads instead.

This proposal was lost nine votes to seven with nine councillors voting for the aforementioned system that incorporated two-way traffic above the embankment.

Six committee members voted against, but the vote was carried.

Cllr Gareth Jones, who represents the Llandrillo yn Rhos ward, summed up the strong opinion against the new system.

“It’s a fantastic scheme,” he said.

“It just shows the amount of tourists who turned up to see the sand being moved onto the beach.

“All the beach work and the work to the prom is absolutely exceptional, a huge enhancement to the area.

“I feel it has been tainted somewhat by this insistence that the traffic changes that will drive traffic off the prom and onto the Cayley.

“I can’t see why we couldn’t have incorporated a scheme and kept the two-way traffic at the bottom, which would have satisfied the majority of people who are complaining.

“There seems to be a load of extra safety areas and a really wide cycling area at the bottom, which don’t actually appear anywhere else on the prom, just this particular section.

“I can understand the benefits, but that has to be weighed against the dangers you would get at the top of the Cayley Prom where people will be trying to get out of their drives.”

He added: “People refer to the 17 households objecting, but actually there are a lot more people who have objected to the traffic. You only have to look at the number of people who turned up at the demonstration.

“They all love the area, love the plans, but were all really perturbed by the traffic.”

The plans will now go before cabinet members in November before a final decision.