POTENTIAL coastal defence schemes in the centre of both Rhyl and Prestatyn have been given unanimous approval by Denbighshire County Council (DCC)’s cabinet members.

At a meeting today (October 18), the cabinet supported recommendations that both the Central Rhyl and Central Prestatyn Coastal Defence schemes are put before full council in December.

The proposed schemes aim to improve coastal flood defences to protect about 600 homes and businesses in Rhyl, and more than 2,000 in Prestatyn.

In Rhyl, between Drift Park and the SeaQuarium (western section), the proposals would include:

• A new stepped revetment.

• A raised and widened promenade.

• A new sea defence wall at the rear of the promenade.

• Improved access to the beach via steps and a ramp.

Between the SeaQuarium and Splash Point (eastern section), the proposals would include:

• Rock scour protection, including boulders, to the foundations of the existing defences.

• Concrete repairs to the existing defences.

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Cllr Barry Mellor, DCC’s lead member for environment and transport, said: “It’s going to be major; protecting over 2,000 properties in Prestatyn, and some 600 in Rhyl, plus businesses.

“If these flood schemes don’t go ahead, then it could put a death knell into both Prestatyn and Rhyl as tourist destinations.

“It would be very irresponsible of DCC not to look to the future. This is what it’s all about.

“We know we’re in the middle of climate change; sea levels are rising and sand levels are dropping year on year, so it’s all about securing the future of Rhyl.

“Yes, the centre of Rhyl might not have been flooded, but we don’t want it flooded – it’s about looking forward and making sure that doesn’t happen.

“There will be disruption, but Rome wasn’t build in a day. It’s about being proactive.”

The two schemes are predicted to cost roughly £84million in total.

Business cases for both schemes were presented to the Budget Board on September 20, who recommended that the schemes be taken forward to construction, subject to cabinet, council and Welsh Government approval.

Tony Ward, DCC’s corporate director for economy and environment, added that 85 per cent of the cost will be funded by Welsh Government, and that the cost of not delivering the schemes now would be “quite difficult to overstate”.

He said: “Carbon impact assessments carried out on both schemes showed that, over the lifetime of the schemes, the carbon impacts are very similar to the carbon benefits, meaning that both schemes are deemed to be carbon neutral.

“Fundamentally, these schemes are essential to the future security of Rhyl and Prestatyn from a tourism, business and residential perspective.

“Existing flood defences are deteriorating quite significantly, and are also inadequate to deal with the predicted sea level rises due to the impact of climate change.

“Schemes need to be on site by March 31, 2023 in order to qualify for Welsh Government funding through the Coastal Flood Risk Management Programme.

“If we don’t take this opportunity to access the 85 per cent grand funding for these schemes, it’s unclear how we will ever be able to afford them in future.”

Cllr Win Mullen-James (Rhyl Trellewelyn ward) also backed the plans, recalling previous instances of flooding in Rhyl.

She said: “I was very much involved in helping people when the last floods came in.

“It was a very distressing event, and those people, in fairness, have never really recovered from that.

“This is such an important scheme to further protect the people in Rhyl and Prestatyn.

“I’m not so concerned about tourism; I’m more concerned about the residents, because the tourism will follow if we can make the residents happy.”

In January, Prestatyn residents told the Journal that they felt ignored after plans were unveiled to build a nine-foot high sea defence in front of their houses.

They believed DCC prioritised Rhyl Golf Club rather than them after it emerged that the new proposed sea defence had been altered to accommodate a hole on its course.

Residents also feared that it would mean their bungalows would be overlooked by a nine-foot high earth bund (a containment area to hold rainwater runoff), with people able to walk along it looking down on their homes.

Both Mr Ward and Cllr Mellor sought to allay those fears at today’s meeting, and said dialogue with such residents will be constant throughout the development.

Mr Ward said: “There have been concerns raised throughout the process from some of the residents close to the Prestatyn scheme.

“A lot of it was based on a misunderstanding of the plans, in terms of how close the bund was going to be to those properties, and about a walkway or cycleway on top of the bund.

“We have met with those residents and put a lot of information out there to reassure them about that.

“We have amended the scheme so that it doesn’t go quite as close to a couple of the houses that were closest to the scheme. There is no plan to put a walkway or cycleway on top of the bund.

“One of the things we will be doing, if we get approval for these schemes, is talk to those residents again to make sure they fully understand what the scheme entails, but also the programme for delivery, because it’s quite a long construction programme.”

Cllr Mellor added: “The golf club are with us, and once we get notification from Welsh Government, we’d be more than happy, then, to meet residents.”