Know Your Coastal Defences

North Wales is a region that is dependent on the sea – whether for tourism, travel, or any other aspect of life within the region – and therefore most of the region remember the pain of the floods of 2015 which closed a large part of the A55 and saw the River Elwy burst it’s banks in St Asaph. 

Otherwise, there’s the December floods of 2015 which saw 15 separate warnings throughout Denbighshire and Flintshire, and going back even further, there are the distant memories of the Towyn and Kinmel Bay floods which saw 6,000 residents evacuated on February 26, 1990.

The case for coastal defences is not one that can be ignored, but not many seem to know the effort that goes into them. While indeed near-disasters like the floods mentioned above simply can’t happen again thanks to the £300k Sea Wall being placed at the town of Rhyl, by North Wales civil engineer Brenig Construction, Coastal defences remain a much-discussed part of council policy in North Wales.

Rhyl’s sea wall is a structure which is incorporated into the promenade itself, and is built to limit erosion which is caused by the sea. Brenig Construction’s Coastal Defences utilises material such as timber, steel, masonry blocks, and precast concrete in order to protect the area from a tidal surge, but look attractive. The sea wall within Rhyl is also curved, to reflect back the energy of the waves and limit overtopping in far more of an efficient manner than older designs.

Brenig Construction’s work also included the construction of varying gabions, which are steel mesh cages which are filled with rocks, concreate and also aggregate, which is used to stabilise vulnerable stretches of Rhyl’s coastline by absorbing the energy the waves generate.

North Wales is an area which holds a considerable amount of people throughout very many towns – whether these towns are holidaying destinations such as Llandudno within Conwy County Council’s territories, or even remote villages such as Ruthin within Flintshire.

As a region which is blessed with the sea, the increased commercial opportunities such as shipping, fishing and tourism should be encouraged, and that starts with looking after the region. Coastal defences alike the ones which protect Rhyl for the entire region are both wanted, and needed.