A £4.3m sea defence scheme has got underway in an effort to protect a North Wales community from flooding. The flood defences will protect 194 homes in Bangor.
A £4.3m sea defence scheme has got underway in an effort to protect a North Wales community from flooding. The BBC reports that the flood defences will protect 194 homes in the Hirael area of Bangor from flooding.
The area is prone to sea flooding due to low lying land and rising sea levels. It is also the site where the Afon Adda, which flows for 4km underground through the centre of Bangor, meets the coast. In periods of heavy rainfall combined with high tides, the area was often flooded before remedial engineering works took place in 2008.
However, now the original coastal defences are becoming eroded and the area has been identified as vulnerable to sea flooding. The work will take around 10 months to complete, and will involve the construction of a main sea wall, three smaller concrete walls, two floodgates and an earth embankment.
Welsh Government minister for climate change Julie James said: “As we address the climate emergency, I am pleased to be providing Cyngor Gwynedd with 85% of the funding for these works through our Coastal Risk Management Programme.”
She added: “Coastal communities must adapt to rising sea levels and this scheme will help do just that, by improving the flood and coastal erosion protection to 194 properties in the Hirael area within Bangor.”
Cyngor Gwynedd cabinet member for the highways, engineering and consultancy Berwyn Parry Jones said: “This investment in flood defences is good news for the local community as both homes and businesses will be better protected for the future.”
“Rising sea levels is a real problem for coastal areas like Gwynedd and I’m pleased to see this work start. As well as improving flood defences, the project aims to enhance the overall appearance of Hirael and improve accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.”
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