Kinmel Bay Coastal Defence Improvements Scheme
Rising sea levels and increasingly severe storms pose a growing threat to Kinmel Bay’s coastline. This major coastal defence project aims to futureproof the area, protect thousands of homes and businesses, and enhance access to the seafront for local communities and visitors.
- Location: Kinmel Bay, North Wales
- Client: Working with Amey for Conwy County Borough Council
- Services
Adapting a vulnerable coastline to a changing climate
The coastline at Kinmel Bay, North Wales, is at risk of flooding due to climate change, which is causing sea levels to rise and resulting in more frequent severe storms. In some places, existing coastal defences need to be strengthened and increased in height.
The coastal defences along this stretch of coastline are in varying conditions and were not designed for the projected sea level rise and increasing storminess we can expect in the future.
Our teams, alongside Amey and LDA Design, designed a scheme to provide new and updated coastal defences, public realm improvements and ecological enhancements for Conwy County Borough Council.
Planning with purpose: A collaborative approach to coastal resilience
Our Planning Team led the coordination and submission of the Environmental Impact Assessment application to Conwy County Borough Council, collaborating with the council, coastal engineers and landscape architects to create a scheme that complied with local and national policy. We also led the statutory Pre-Application Consultation Period. This included identifying and notifying adjacent landowners, logging all the stakeholder, community and neighbour consultations, and attending a public consultation event. This was all recounted in a statutory Pre-Application Consultation Report, which was submitted to the council alongside the EIA application. The scheme achieved planning permission in October 2023, and work has started on-site.
Protecting communities and enhancing coastal access
The Kinmel Bay Coastal Defence Improvements Scheme has been thoughtfully designed to decrease long-term flood risk to 2,289 residential and commercial properties by the year 2121. It will also improve the public realm and beach access points for residents and visitors. Once installed, the scheme design and access improvements will provide significant benefits to the settlements along this coastline.
Interested in this project or looking to strengthen your approach to coastal resilience and sustainable planning? Get in touch with our team here.
