Seaside town's main road will soon be underwater but there's a row over what happens next

Wales Online

29-04-2025

Seaside town's main road will soon be underwater but there's a row over what happens next
A consultation has been launched for a proposed new road in Newgale that would, in time, replace the existing one, but another option has been suggested
A car is stuck along the A487 in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, during a storm
(Image: HM Coastguard - Broad Haven )
The deputy leader of the Welsh Conservatives has urged Pembrokeshire Council to work with locals on a "more cost-effective, environmentally sensitive solution" following the launch of a consultation into a potential multi-million-pound inland realignment of a seaside road.
The public consultation is part of the Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project's first phase, which includes plans for a new inland section of road with a bridge over Brandy Brook, replacing the coastal section of A487 at Newgale that will be closed and removed.
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Newgale was severely affected by flooding after storms in 2014 and again during Storm Dennis in 2020. In 2014, then Prime Minister David Cameron visited the area as part of a UK tour to "learn lessons" from the storms and flooding that year. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here .
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The road was closed for about two weeks after waves breached pebble defences, stranding a Richards Bros bus in floodwater and leading to the rescue of around 10 passengers. In 2018, Pembrokeshire County Council's Cabinet backed a recommendation for a long-term inland highway link for the A487. You can read more about fears that a section of the A487 will be lost to the sea in years to come here.
A bus is partially submerged in water on the A487 in Newgale in 2014
(Image: Matthew Horwood/Wales News Service )
An agent for AtkinsRéalis highlighted a sobering 2020 report commissioned by Pembrokeshire County Council regarding the coastal change at Newgale which concluded "that continued efforts to maintain the shingle ridge as a defence is highly likely to be unsustainable beyond 2035, more realistically by 2030," and stressed: "Early action is required before the road becomes impassable and unsafe."
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Meanwhile, Stand Up for Newgale (STUN) has pushed forward a more budget-friendly alternative, the Newgale Beach Shingle Bank Realignment Scheme (NSBRS), which suggests adjusting a part of the shingle bank about 10-12 metres seawards.
This would create an over wash barrier between the newly positioned bank and the A487, effectively trapping pebbles and sea water. Cost estimates for Pembrokeshire County Council's own proposals are alarming, initially calculated at £20m but now potentially doubling to £40m. Expenses for consultation alone are said to have reached £2m up to this point.
A section of the A487 in Newgale under water in 2014
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
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The proposed new route in Newgale
(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service )
Preseli Pembrokeshire's Senedd member and recently appointed Welsh Conservatives' deputy leader, Paul Davies, who supports STUN's initiative, expressed his disappointment with the council's direction, claiming its plan disregarded both community interests and cost-effectiveness.
He said: "I'm very disappointed that the council is pushing ahead with its plans rather than working with the community on a much more affordable scheme.
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"We know the council is struggling financially and yet somehow, it's content to find millions of pounds for a scheme that the local community opposes.
"In my view Pembrokeshire County Council's plans are ill conceived. Any changes to the infrastructure in Newgale must meet the needs of the local community and should aim to be as environmentally sensitive as possible.
"I've raised this at the Senedd, and I will be doing so again, urging the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to intervene and support the local community."
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The public have until May 11 to scrutinise the proposals during the pre-application consultation. Plans can be viewed online, and comments may be shared via email to [e-mail] or by traditional post to the Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project Team at AtkinsRéalis, Floor 4, West Glamorgan House, 12 Orchard Street, Swansea, SA1 5AD.