Some towns in North Wales are feeling left out after their neighbours saw their beaches transformed by sand
The transformation of a seafront at Rhos-on-Sea which has been dubbed the new 'Welsh Riviera' has left a neighbouring resort wanting to know why they are not next. One million tonnes of sand have been sucked from a dredging site in Liverpool Bay and deposited on the coastline at Rhos-on-Sea in recent months.
It follows similar projects in Colwyn Bay that have seen people flock back to the now beautiful sandy beaches. North Wales Live reported that last week visitors raved about the new Rhos seafront with one saying "It looks like the French Riviera! But Welsh!" and another describing it as "possibly the best in North Wales".
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But just up the coast Llandudno's North Shore is rocky mess as in 2014 rocks were piled onto its North Shore beach to protect seafront hotels against flooding. A battle has been raging to secure funding from Welsh Government's flood protection fund to change that but it is hit a recent setback.
Flood defence work is required at the promenade but whether that involves sand or will remain a rocky barrier. It is fundamentally down to cost with the sandy beach option £24m - compared to the cheaper £7m one that would leave rocks in place.
An outline business case was approved for the more expensive plan by Welsh Government - but councillors have since been told officials have "serious reservations" about the proposals. They say "does not appear to provide any additional flood risk management benefits" although people argue it will bring economic benefits to Wales's most popular seaside resort.
Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders says Llandudno should be treated the same way as Rhos-on-Sea and Colwyn Bay.
She said: "Sand is being used at Rhos-on-Sea and Colwyn Bay as a part of a coastal defence programme. As such, it is deeply disappointing that the Welsh Government will not support a similar programme of works being undertaken at Llandudno."
Mrs Finch-Saunders has written to Climate Change minister Julie James over the issue and asked Vaughan Gething, Minster for the Economy, to see what funding avenues could be pursued.
She said to Ms James MS: "Only a few miles down the coast, Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea are both seeing significant amounts of sand being pumped onto their respective beaches for the purpose of improving coastal flooding defences, yet the Welsh Government seem unwilling to carry out a similar scheme in Llandudno.
"As I have outlined numerous times in the Siambr, the local tourism and hospitality sector in Aberconwy, especially in Llandudno, is the backbone of our economy, providing thousands of jobs and drawing in significant investment. The return of sand to North Shore would provide a huge boost to this industry, positively impacting the economy right across the region as well as providing much needed coastal defence improvements. However, once again, it appears that the Welsh Government is not willing to listen to the people of Aberconwy, their elected officials, and the Local Authority’s recommendation."
A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “Conwy council is responsible for identifying flood and coastal erosion risk at Llandudno and for bringing forward funding proposals for us to consider.
“We look forward to receiving the full detailed design funding application and business case supporting Conwy council in meeting its Climate Emergency Declaration and Well-being of Future Generations Act commitments.”
Conwy council said the report into flood defence proposals will go before the local authority's cabinet this week.
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