£40m road project challenged by cheaper community-backed alternative

Bruce Sinclair, Local Democracy Reporter

Proposals for a £40m-plus road realignment scheme at a flood-hit seaside spot, and a far cheaper alternative scheme, are to come under the spotlight at full council next week.

Newgale was hit hard by flooding following storms in early 2014, and later by Storm Dennis in 2020.

In 2014 it even saw a visit by the then-Prime-Minister David Cameron following the storms.

A public consultation, through agent AtkinsRéalis, was launched earlier this year ahead of a formal Pembrokeshire County Council application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park for Phase 1 of the Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project, which would see the development of a new inland section of road with bridge over Brandy Brook some 2.3km inland, to replace the coastal section of A487 at Newgale that will be closed and removed, among other works.

Costs

Varied claims have been made about the cost of this scheme, from £20m upwards, some even saying it could cost as much as £60m, with millions spent on consultation fees to date.

An alternative scheme has been proposed by STUN – Stand Up for Newgale, who have previously said the public has been misled over the need for the new Newgale bypass.

STUN’s far cheaper alternative proposes a section of the shingle bank at Newgale be realigned 10-12 metres seaward leaving an over-wash barrier between it and the A487 to capture any pebbles and sea water.

In a question, on behalf of Solva Community Council, to be heard at the July 17 meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, community council chair Gareth Chapman will ask: “The topic of the road diversion at Newgale has been in the news quite a lot recently and it has become apparent that there has been an alternative scheme proposed by the Newgale Community group STUN.

“This proposal has been demonstrated to Solva Community Council and appears to be an under £1m proposal with up to 85 years lifespan compared to the conservative £40m-plus estimate for the PCC proposal.”

Major change

The question says “hardly anyone wants this major change in Newgale,” adding: “PCC’s proposal is to counter for road closures that rarely happen and, even then, require little expense to restore the pebble bank. It should also be remembered that on several occasions, flooding at Newgale occurs because the river outlet is blocked preventing water from the valley escaping and not as a result of a high tide or storm.

“It is acknowledged that climate change and coastal issues at Newgale may eventually in many years force a change in the highway arrangements at Newgale but it is felt that all efforts should be made to retain the character of the village and iconic views for as long as possible.

“Given the huge amount of public money that is proposed to be spent, and could well be better spent on other more pressing issues, would Pembrokeshire County Council commit to thoroughly examining the alternative proposal as WelTAG [Welsh Government Transport Appraisal Guidance] suggests they should, and also fully take on board the overwhelming public opinion regarding the future of Newgale?

“Secondly if Pembrokeshire County Council have already given this alternative scheme full consideration, will they also commit to providing their written comments on the alternative scheme to Solva Community Council within 14 days of this meeting?”

The question will be responded to at the meeting.