Flood defences will save 1000’s in Kinmel Bay

Jun 24 2010 by Ian Hughes, North Wales Weekly News

MAJOR flood defence work along the River Clwyd will protect over a thousand homes in and around Kinmel Bay.

Work got underway on Monday as Environment Agency Wales starts work to reinstate the flood banks on both sides of the river.

The embankments in the tidal stretch of the Clwyd are slowly sinking into the peat.

They were last topped up to the required height in 1991 and since then have continued to drop.

Meic Davies, Environment Agency Wales flood risk manager for North Wales, said: “The area is at significant risk from tidal flooding and this project will help to reduce the danger caused by the embankments sinking into the peat. It’s great news for people living and working here.”

People in 1,150 homes and businesses in Kinmel Bay and parts of Rhyl are at risk if water breaches current embankments.

Without this work the number of homes at risk would more than double within a decade to 2,760.

Building work will continue through the summer and is expected finish in the autumn.

Some local disruption will be unavoidable during construction as the footpaths and cycleway on both sides of the river will be closed.

MP for the Vale of Clwyd Chris Ruane was glad to see work finally getting underway.

“This scheme will ensure that over a thousand properties on both sides will be safer from tidal and estuary flooding in the future.”

He added: “This is excellent news for all of those who live alongside the river.”

The scheme, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Convergence Fund, also includes funds to monitor the banks for the next decade and to continue topping them up to the required height.

It will provide the area with greater protection for the next 10 -15 years – however climate change, rising sea levels and continued sinking of the new banks mean this can only be a temporary measure.

Environment Agency Wales will shortly present its recommendations for a long-term flood strategy for the area following a significant public consultation.

Meic Davies added: “It’s important to emphasise that this will not resolve the long term issue of how we deal with the flood risk in this flood plain. We are currently putting the finishing touches to our proposals for this and will be sharing them with people in the next few weeks.”