‘Failure to fix breakwater could lead to port closing’
PLANS have been revealed for major repair works on Britain’s longest breakwater amid fears that a lack of action could result in the closure of the town’s port.
A report published last year found the 1.7-mile breakwater, which protects the port and town of Holyhead, could be breached within 15 years unless the necessary repairs are carried out.
The port and town of Holyhead are protected by the Grade II listed structure, with the rubble used to form its foundations coming from the northern side of Mynydd Twr (Holyhead Mountain).
The structure was an engineering marvel for its time, employing more than 1,300 men and taking 28 years
to complete, being opened in 1873 by Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, after an 1847 Act of Parliament.
For several years its owners, Stena Line Ports, has been carrying out the day-to-day maintenance, with a 2013 estimate revealing that it was costing the company an average of £150,000 a year.
But as the rubble mound has gradually been eroded by constant wave action, it has increased the wave impacts on the breakwater itself, with experts believing the loss of this mound would eventually result in breaches within 15 years.
As a result the plans, which have now been submitted as a first phase planning application on behalf of Anglesey council, are currently at the pre-application stage.
They are now seeking advice from planning officers on whether an environment impact assessment is a necessity.
In 2017, with Welsh Government and Stena Line Ports support, it undertook an outline business case to develop options for the refurbishment of the breakwater.
These varied from doing nothing, which would result in the failure of the breakwater, to strengthening the existing structure, constructing an offshore breakwater and restoring or topping up the rubble mound.
The proposed refurbishment scheme is being jointly developed by Stena Line, Anglesey council and the Welsh Government but the actual works to the breakwater would be led by Stena Line.
The planned refurbishment of the seaward side of the Breakwater comprises two layers of Tetrapod concrete armour units of between 40 and 55 tonnes and an outer, single layer of 60 tonne Chevron concrete armour units.
On the leeward side of the wall, an articulated concrete block mattress would be placed over a distance of approximately 10-15m from the leeward side of the wall to prevent any further erosion of the rubble mound and undermining of the wall.