BUILDING A NEW HOME FOR TOADS
DENBIGHSHIRE County Council has applied for permission to construct new multi-million-pound sea defences in Rhyl, which includes proposed work on the seafront and prom.
But the planning application also seeks permission for an ecological area to promote the habitat of natterjack toads – the UK’s loudest amphibian.
The rare toads are typically found in sand dunes and saltmarshes around coastal areas, breeding in shallow pools of water.
Natterjack toads are smaller than common toads, are a protected species, and can be identified by a yellow stripe on their back.
But the Wildlife Trust describes the call of the female natterjack as “phenomenal”. Males make a rasping sound during mating season.
The proposed area of ecological mitigation at Barkby Beach is part of a “buffer” zone between the sea and promenade, which will include a wildflower meadow, sand dunes and a pilot area for the toads. Fencing and disabled access are included in the application.
If the planning application gets the go-ahead, the promenade will be raised by a minimum of 1.5m in places and widened by as much as 10.1m.
The council also wants to incorporate a new sea wall as well as repair works, engineering operations and “scour” protection to the existing sea wall. Scour protection involves boulders being placed at the base of the existing coastal defences to bolster the structures over a distance of 1.45km between Splash Point and the SeaQuarium.
Denbighshire County Council also hopes to construct a new 750m concrete, stepped revetment from the SeaQuarium to opposite Drift Park, as well as new flood gates for access points through the new sea defence walls between the SeaQuarium and opposite Drift Park.
The application will be determined by members of Denbighshire’s planning committee at a future meeting following the forthcoming election.