Why part of a popular Welsh resort could be sacrificed to the sea

Properties and a section of promenade could be demolished. The process was scheduled to get under way in the next 30 years - but it's hoped the plans can be delayed, as Andrew Forgrave reports

- Andrew Forgrave

FUTURE plans to sacrifice part of a Welsh resort are a stark reminder of the perils facing coastal communities as sea levels rise.

Barmouth has been earmarked for potential "managed realignment" because engineers say its sea defences will become increasingly difficult to maintain.

It leaves the northern end of Barmouth facing the prospect of seafront loss coupled with the need to relocate residents and businesses. Engineering consultants Arup have warned of the need to tread softly and learn the lessons from Fairbourne, Barmouth's neighbour.

It, too, once faced its own Doomsday scenario, its residents portrayed as Britain's "first climate refugees" amid the prospect of complete abandonment. In an initial Barmouth analysis from 2019, Arup said: "A scheme which involves the loss or relocation of any properties is likely to be controversial or provoke strong local opinions, leading to significant risks to the future of a scheme and local community cohesion."

Cyngor Gwynedd considers Managed Realignment (MR) to be currently "premature". At one point the aim was to get the process underway in the next 30 years but it could now be delayed until 2075 and potentially even until the next century.

In the meantime, the council is advancing its north Barmouth coastal defence project. This near-future scheme involves repairing 1.2km of the promenade, raising the secondary wall, adding rock armour and landscape improvements.

The prom here is in bad shape, with "unsafe voiding" caused by sand depletion and wave action. In 2020 it was badly damaged during winter storms.

Without reinforcement, an estimated 757 properties could be at risk from flooding.

Yet the prospect of MR, at some time in the future, continues to hang over the resort. One now-discounted idea would have involved the loss of the entire Hoel-y-Llan housing estate along with commercial properties and recreational facilities.