Timeline
July 2024
After a competitive tendering process, we have appointed MWT as the principal contractor for the work. The work on West Shore will take place in a number of locations, starting in July 2024. The work on North Shore will start in September 2024 and will focus around the paddling pool and RNLI station.
As well as this new work, we will make repairs to the existing wall along the entire length of North Shore to repair defects. Work to the three existing walls on West Shore will also repair existing defects such as cracks and loose coping stones.
In both locations, the focus is on maintaining existing lines of defence and constructing new sections of defence where potential weaknesses were identified by our coastal modelling.
West Shore
- Reinstate stop logs in 7 locations where they have been historically located. This will then create a continuous barrier in the secondary and tertiary walls during flood events.
- Extend the existing wall which runs along the rear of the pavement on West Parade for approximately 50m, with the same height and appearance as the existing wall.
- Raise the kerbing around the entrance to the Dale Road car park, along with localised ground raising to increase resilience during periods of overtopping.
- Construct a new access ramp from the end of the primary seawall at the bottom of the car park, to tie into the existing footpath. This will allow continuous access whilst also bolstering the defences in this location. There will also be some localised ground raising to the south of the pumping station on Abbey Road.
North Shore
- Install new demountable barriers to the side and rear of the deckchair store east of the Cenotaph
- Repair and replace existing floodgates at various locations
- Construct a new wall behind the paddling pool running along the rear of the footpath, replacing existing concrete bollards and chains.
- Build a new ramped access structure to the west of the paddling pool to close a gap in the defences.
- Install a new floodgate across the entrance to the RNLI lifeboat station.
- Build a new seawall east of the lifeboat station along the back the footpath. These areas have been identified as potential weak spots within the defences.
March 2024
On 26 March 2024, the Welsh Government approved the Full Business Case for the Llandudno Coastal Improvements Scheme, with a possible investment of up to £5.2m.
The scheme addresses the present day flood risk to the town. In Llandudno, up to 4,982 residential properties and 1,056 commercial properties are at risk of coastal flooding in the next 50 years, and these will benefit from this investment in reducing flood risk.
The proposed scheme will make improvements to the current defence system at known weak points. It will provide a more reliable and consistent standard of protection for Llandudno. The project will also address the risk of existing defences being outflanked during storms.
The scheme includes improvements to the coastal defences at both North and West Shores.
Next steps
Construction is expected to start later in 2024.
December 2023
Flood modelling works
Our flood modelling specialists HR Wallingford have updated the existing Llandudno flood model to understand how the town may be impacted by coastal flooding. New flooding predictions for North Shore and West Shore give us updated information on how flooding may change over time due to climate change, with rises to sea levels and increased frequency of large waves and storms.
The data has been generated for these timeframes:
- Year 2040 (20 years' time)
- Year 2070 (50 years' time)
- Year 2122 (100 years' time)
The modelling predictions of flooding are for two scenarios:
- 'Business as usual' - where the current flood defences are maintained as normal
- 'Walkaway' - a hypothetical scenario where the current flood defences are not maintained and fall into disrepair
‘Flood risk’ is the likelihood of a flood occurring. We calculate this as the chance that a location will flood in any one year.
So, if a location has a 1% chance of flooding each year, there is a 1 in 100 chance of flooding in any year. This doesn’t mean that if a location floods one year, it will not flood for the next 99 years. It also doesn’t mean if it hasn’t flooded for 99 years, it will flood this year.
The lower the percentage, the less chance there is of flooding in any one year. The higher the percentage then the more chance there is of flooding in any one year. This chance is always there - this year, next year and in the future.
Please note:
Flooding can be caused by other sources which are not shown on these maps - such as sewers or local drains.
The maps indicate risk to a general area, not to individual properties.
Image 1: North Shore - Walkaway compared with business as usual in the 2% chance of flooding each year (1 in 50 years) scenario
This image compares two predictions of flooding in Llandudno from the North Shore: if the current flood defences are not maintained and fall into disrepair (walkaway) and, if the current flood defences are maintained as normal (business as usual).
The image shows that the current flood defences on North Shore should prevent widespread flooding in a 1 in 50 year storm - but there are a few areas where water could come over the top of the defences.
Image 2: North Shore - Walkaway compared with business as usual in the 0.5% chance of flooding each year (1 in 200 years) scenario
This image shows that the current flood defences should prevent widespread flooding in a less likely, but bigger and more severe storm. But there are some areas where water could come over the top of the defences especially in the east near the new RNLI Station.
Image 3: West Shore - Walkaway compared with business as usual in the 2% chance of flooding each year (1 in 50 years) scenario
This image compares two predictions of the extent of flooding in Llandudno from the West Shore: if the current flood defences are not maintained and fall into disrepair (walkaway) and if the current flood defences are maintained as normal (business as usual).
The image shows that the current flood defences should prevent some flooding in a 1 in 50 year storm. But there are some areas (particularly around Dale Road car park) where water could come over the top of the defences and flow into residential areas.
Image 4: West Shore - Walkaway compared with business as usual in the 0.5% chance of flooding each year (1 in 200 years) scenario
The image shows that the current flood defences may not be substantial enough to prevent flooding on nearby residential areas in a less likely, but bigger and more severe storm.
Next steps
Using this new flood risk data, we will finalise our proposals for improvements to increase the existing flood defence provision. This will include carrying out site investigations on North Shore from October 2023 to assist with the design of improvements.
We aim to be ready to start work on building the improved flood defences in 2024.
January 2023
We have secured funding from the Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) to pay for a full business case and detailed design.
September 2022
The Cabinet has decided to accept funding from the Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP) to continue with the non-sand option for North Shore coastal flood risk reduction, and at West Shore.
August 2022
Welsh Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management branch has told us that the option for putting sand on North Shore cannot be funded by the Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP).
This programme is targeted at reducing coastal flood risk and they do not believe the sand option provides any extra coastal defence benefits. They consider that the £23.9m cost for the sand option is not justifiable when the £6.7m option of raising the promenade wall would have the same coastal defence benefit.
Welsh Government stated that they appreciated the strong local desire for a sand beach on a specific part of North Shore, but that the CRMP programme is not the appropriate way to achieve this at such a significantly increased cost.
Councillors in the Scrutiny Committee have agreed, as a priority, to lobby Welsh Government ministers for Economy and Climate Change and the UK Government to seek funding.
June 2022
The outline business case has been approved by Welsh Government. We are now working on the detail needed for the full business case, advancing the concept designs for the options in the outline business case. We will be working on ground investigations and holding a public consultation later this year.
October 2021
We have submitted the final outline business case to Welsh Government for technical review and consideration against programme objectives. The next step will be detailed design work of the scheme, which will involve public consultation.
The work done to date on this coastal defence improvement scheme has been funded by Welsh Government through its Coastal Risk Management Programme (CRMP). We will be applying for Welsh Government funding for future stages, with some of the funding coming from Conwy County Borough Council.
June 2021
On 8 June 2021, the Cabinet reviewed the draft outline business case and shortlisted options. Cabinet identified their preferred option for North Shore was to remove the cobble bank between Vaughan Street and Children’s Corner and replace it with sand.
July 2019
Llandudno Coastal Forum, working with Conwy County Borough Council and its consultants, organised a public drop-in session at the Victoria Centre in Llandudno on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 July 2019. Residents and visitors viewed the shortlisted options for managing Llandudno’s beaches and gave their comments. View the Llandudno Flood Defence Improvement Boards. Comments were also submitted via our website.
We have compiled the comments we received into a report to accompany the outline business case.