The £26m promenade that 'rivals anything in the Med'

A £26M coastal defence project which has taken more than two years has officially opened in Swansea.

- RICHARD YOULE

Contractors are putting the finishing touches to the seawall and promenade scheme covering 1.2km of Mumbles shoreline.

It is designed to protect dozens of homes and business from coastal flooding for the next century and has also resulted in a wider, more attractive promenade.

Swansea council leader Rob Stewart said the new-look prom rivalled anything in the Mediterranean.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies unveiled a plaque on the promenade and said the Welsh Government’s investment, while substantial, was only a small part of a £291m coastal management programme over five years in Wales.

Mr Irranca-Davies said he knew the location well, having grown up in Gowerton, around eight miles away and coaching tennis on the Mumbles promenade courts.

He thanked Swansea council, which contributed 15% of the £26m, and contractors Knights Brown.

“It's magnificent,” he said of the new seawall.