£8m promenade improvement project for Colwyn Bay

A community will have its say on what should go on a revamped promenade in Conwy county.

An £8m coastal defence improvement project for Colwyn Bay will see part of the promenade raised to create a new area.

Detailed plans for what will sit on the extended promenade when it is built will go on display later this week.

The £8m coastal defence project will also give the town a new beach and see a new breakwater built.

Conwy County Borough Council said the sea defences were now more than 100 years old and could not withstand the battering from storms each winter.

The promenade in Colwyn Bay is the first line of defence against the Irish Sea, and a storm last winter caused damage that cost more than £500,000 to repair.

Hywel Jones, Colwyn Bay seafront project manager, said: "We estimate there is about £100m of infrastructure behind Colwyn Bay's frontage - the A55, the railway and over 200 residential properties.

"So there's a large amount of properties and infrastructure protected by the defences and it's very important to ensure they are protected in the future."

Councillor Mike Priestley, cabinet member for environment, said the plans would also create a bigger and better beach for the area.

Donkeys

"The beach is actually part of the sea defence so we're having two bites of the cherry here in the fact that it takes the energy out of the waves and I honestly believe people will come to sit at the seaside," he said.

"Wouldn't it be great to see the donkeys on this beach as well as Llandudno."

Work on the project will not start until the assembly government agrees to pay part of the cost.

The plans go on show at Colwyn Leisure Centre from 6 January.