Vital coast road ‘could be lost to the sea in 15 years’
AMAIN coastal road could vanish in just a few years’ time, as the sea that sits beside it continues to rise.
The A487 at Newgale, Pembrokeshire, runs alongside a popular beach which is used by thousands of people each year. The only thing that separates the road from the sand is a shingle bank, but in 2014 it was predicted that this bank would not be fit to continue its role in protecting the road in the long term.
In fact, it is feared the bank – made up of small to medium-sized cobbles – can only serve its purpose for another 15 years, and that by 2036 it, and the road it protects, will be under water due to the rapidly changing impact brought about by climate change.
The road through Newgale has previously been closed off and blocked due to extreme weather, most notably in 2014 and 2017. Parts of the road were also totally underwater last year after the village was battered by Storm Dennis.
Plans have been in the offing for a number of years to build a new road inland from the existing route, thus protecting vital links between Haverfordwest and St Davids. The new road will bypass the village itself but still allow people to travel between the communities of Penycwm and Roch, and is expected to cost up to £20m.
That, however, has been put in some doubt after the Welsh Government announced this summer that a freeze on most new road projects would be implemented until an independent panel carries out a review into Wales’ carbon footprint. This is not expected to be completed for several months.
Bruce Sanderson owns Newsurf, a surf shop offering equipment hire and lessons, just a few yards from the pebbles which separates it from the sea. He is pragmatic about how climate change’s impact will affect his business in years to come, but doesn’t necessarily agree with the plans for a new road.
“I’m hoping the Welsh Government will allow us as a business to retreat if the time comes and allow us to build something further away from the coast,” said Mr Sanderson. “A lot of people think that the existing road should be improved and that the network should be expanded. A lot of people feel that it’s a lot of money to spend when a lot of other areas are going to be in more dire need.
“When you buy a business like this you look at a 10-year plan, you don’t tend to look ahead much further than that. I own other property nearby and we would hope, if it comes to it, to be able to provide the same service further inland.”
Mr Sanderson believes that spending millions of pounds on a small stretch of road might not be the best way forward, and agrees with the Welsh Government’s decision to freeze new road builds while a review is carried out. Climate change, he said, was a much wider issue than a few businesses next to the coast in a small village.
“We are just a very small part of a huge issue where whole countries are going to be flooded and people are going to lose their homes,” he said. “A lot of other places have flooded a lot more than here. I’m happy to keep the road as it is.”
Ed Coupe runs the Duke of Edinburgh pub, which also overlooks the seafront. He admits that the impending threat of climate change is a concern in the long-term for his business.
“The area is a massive draw for tourists, and the creation of the new road might mean, particularly in winter, that people would not drive past the pub,” he said. “In the summer we might be OK but in the winter I think people pass here and pop in for a coffee or a sandwich or whatever. Certainly this is a pub that can’t just survive on the summer trade alone.”
Mr Coupe added that the building’s owner was already looking at plans to adapt it in the future. Even if the new route is built in the next few years, the existing A487 that runs past the pub will remain open until such a point where it is deemed unsafe. However, that might not necessarily be good news for the business.”
Earlier this year, site investigations were carried out in Newgale as part of Pembrokeshire Council’s response to the impact of climate change in the county. Machinery took soil and
We are just a very small part of a huge issue where whole countries are going to be flooded and people are going to lose their homes BRUCE SANDERSON
road samples so that engineers could “identify technical issues to refine the preferred route and design for the road element of the project”.
The council still hopes that the new road could be completed and open by 2025 – 11 years before the doomsday projection for the existing one.
Cris Tomos, cabinet member for environment, Welsh language and public protection at Pembrokeshire council, said: “A study following major storms in 2014 indicated that the shingle bank at Newgale had around 10 to 20 years lifespan, at the then projected climate change figures, before it became unsustainable.
“Since then the council’s focus has been on delivering an adaptation scheme, including a new route, that provides resilience, adapts to the challenges of climate change and protects connections between the St Davids Peninsula and the rest of the county. The scheme also plans to provide improvements to footpath and cycle routes, enhance the rich flora and fauna of the valley and maintain access to the beach for existing users.
“Work on the adaptation scheme has progressed steadily, including planning strategy, stakeholder and public engagement, ecology surveys and assessment, geotechnical investigation, agriculture assessment, landowner negotiation, roads design and a report on design changes required for the next stages of work.
“The next phase to be completed in 2021-22 will comprise of the finalisation of the environmental statement, carrying out further iterations of design following pre-application consultation and consultation and submission of the planning application by March 2022. Our current programme shows completion of the work by about end of 2025, but this is dependent on consultation, statutory processes and funding.”
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Government said: “We have provided funding for the Newgale coastal adaptation plan and A487 route diversion over the last few years. Funding is provided on an annual basis and we will consider any further applications.
“A roads Rreview panel has been set up to look at whether new roads are the right solutions for transport problems, in line with Llwybr Newydd, the Wales Transport Strategy. The panel is expected to produce a full report on current and planned road schemes next summer.
“Our aim is to reduce the risk of flooding and coastal erosion for people and communities across Wales and we will fund additional flood protection for at least 45,000 homes this government term. This year we’re providing £36m – the highest amount of capital funding in a single year – to local authorities and NRW to help them invest in new defences, maintenance works and natural flood management schemes.”