£6 million flood-protection project completed

A £6 million flood-protection project funded by the Welsh Government has been completed.

The Cyngor Gwynedd project will protect the Hirael area of Bangor from the effects of coastal flooding and improve local recreational resources.

Over the last 10 months, council engineers have been overseeing the work to install new flood gates and walls; raising the level of the promenade and creating a new slipway; and creating a cycle path and other recreational resources in the area.

Coastal flooding

The scheme is designed to protect nearly 200 domestic and commercial properties in the area from coastal flooding – a problem likely to be exacerbated as the sea level rises and as extreme weather becomes more common, due to climate change.

The work was funded through the Welsh Government’s Coastal Risk Management Programme.

Councillor Berwyn Parry Jones, Cyngor Gwynedd’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Engineering and Consultancy Department, said: “This important work mitigates flood risk in the Hirael area of Bangor and benefits the whole community.

“I’m sure local people will benefit as well from the recreational improvements that have been made as a result of the work, including the creation of a new path for walkers and cyclists and installing new benches around the promenade.

“The Wales Coast Path and the National Cycle Path go along the promenade, a stone’s throw from Hirael, so this project is a great opportunity to improve links with these two important attractions.”

Minor works

He added: “Once the work to improve the sewerage system in the area has been completed by Welsh Water, our officers will be able to return to Lon Traeth to finish minor works.”

The Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, who attended a ceremony marking the project’s completion, said: “It was fantastic to visit the Hirael Bay scheme which will reduce the risk of coastal flooding to nearly 200 homes and businesses.

“I saw first hand how the scheme will also benefit the community by creating an active travel route, which connects the cycle route and coastal path from Eryri through to Bangor Pier.

“We’ve made significant investments to improve Wales’ coastal defence infrastructure in recent years through our Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) investment, with £291m worth of investment over five years and once all 15 schemes across Wales are finished will benefit almost 14,000 properties.”