With the 35th anniversary of the Towyn Floods only a few months away, Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called for action to ensure further flooding incidents are prevented in the area by boosting flood protection from the left bank of the River Clwyd.
Responding to the Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, ‘Flooding - Preparing for winter’ in the Senedd this week, Darren warned that current flood protection in this area is insufficient and is putting homes and businesses at risk. He also said it is preventing much-needed new homes and other developments from being built.
He said:
“Next February will mark the thirty-fifth anniversary of the devastating Towyn floods, which of course not just affected Towyn, but also affected everywhere between Pensarn and Rhyl.
“At the time, I was living in Towyn and Kinmel Bay, where I still live now, and experienced the devastation when that flooding occurred. There is some welcome news for residents in Towyn and Kinmel Bay in that the Welsh Government, working with Conwy County Borough Council, is delivering a significant investment in the coastal flood defences in Kinmel Bay. The work has just started - £13 million-worth of work, which we need to make sure is delivered as soon as possible in order to prevent flooding to over 2,000-plus homes.
“But there is still a vulnerability in the local area, and that arises from the left bank of the River Clwyd. Unfortunately, the level of flood protection from the left bank of the River Clwyd, which is entirely the responsibility of NRW and the Welsh Government, is insufficient for the local authority to be able to lift the moratorium on the development of new homes in that particular community.
“We all know that there's pressure on housing, and there's plenty of space in the Towyn and Kinmel Bay area for new homes, but without investment in our flood defences we're not going to be able to deliver them.”
“So can I ask the Cabinet Secretary: what work will he do with NRW to look at the possibilities for investment in the left bank of the River Clwyd in order that we can protect local communities, because it is desperately needed and there's been no progress for over a decade?
In his response, the Cabinet Secretary told Darren he would ask his office “to contact NRW to ask them to get in touch with you so you can discuss that with them.”
Speaking afterwards, Darren added:
“Flooding devastates lives, and we must do everything we can to ensure residents do not have to endure what my family, and many others did, in Towyn back in 1990.”
Watch Darren’s contribution in the Welsh Parliament below:
