Plans for a £27.5 million flood defence scheme in Rhyl are set to get the go ahead.
The project is in response to major flooding which hit Rhyl in December 2013, seeing 140 properties near Garford Road evacuated.
It will help protect around 1,650 homes in the area, as well as providing a defence against a “one in 200 year” storm.
The cost of the scheme is set to be £27.5m but, if the expense should rise over that, the project would have to come back before full council.
Denbighshire will have to pay for the scheme through its own borrowing with Welsh Government providing 75% of the funding over 25 years.
The plans are for a defence 600 metres in length which will involve placing 128,000 tonnes of rock armour in front of a replacement sea defence wall.
Cllr Barry Mellor
Rhyl East county councillor, Tony Thomas, saw his neighbours properties flooded when the storm hit in 2013, he fully supports the works.
He said: “The disaster happened six years ago, we need to avoid that sort of thing. This new measure reduces the risk to a one in 200 year event. There were 140 houses got flooded last time, there are a lot more at risk as well.
“There have been some high tides recently and that alarms people. The people of east Rhyl deserve to able to sleep at night. You can’t mess with the powers of nature. They are immense.”
His fellow Rhyl East county councillor, Barry Mellor, also welcomed the plans.
Cllr Tony Thomas
He said: “This is at the final hurdle now, it has been thoroughly scrutinised and it has been a long time coming. You have to go back to 2013 when the flood happened, I remember getting the call that people were being evacuated and there were 140 homes flooded.
“People in the area have had many a sleepless night since then. And although the council has put in a lagoon to take water it was only ever a temporary fix. “But this new defence will be for a one in 200 year event which should provide assurance for the people living in east Rhyl.
“There will be disruption as the work is carried out but I’m confident it’s the right thing to do.”
Work on the defences would begin in April 2020 and be expected to last two and a half years.
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