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Unconvincing new flood defences branded 'Great Wall of West Shore'
Unconvincing new flood defences branded 'Great Wall of West Shore'
One online commentator asked if 'Hadrian had been made aware'
Extended wall that is part of the recent flood defence work at West Shore, Llandudno
A multi-million pound flood defence project at Llandudno beach is nearing completion, but one aspect of the scheme has become the subject of online ridicule. Conwy council, backed by Welsh Government funding and its own capital, has been undertaking extensive improvements to the seaside resort's flood defences.
Given Llandudno's location on the Creuddyn peninsula, with the sea bordering two sides, the town has experienced flooding in the past. As a result, defence work commenced last year, initially on West Shore, followed by the North Shore promenade.
The West Shore project is now almost complete, but a new wall extension has been garnering attention for its underwhelming appearance.
Dubbed 'The Great Wall of West Shore', the structure is, in some areas, barely higher than the adjacent grass field separating West Shore parade from the promenade and main seawall.
Although it is just one component of the defence system, and hopefully not crucial to the overall protection, the wall's relatively small size has been mocked by locals.
Wall is part of the new flood defence work at West Shore, Llandudno
(Image: David Williams )
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David Williams sarcastically commented: "Great NEWS Everyone. The Great Wall of West Shore is nearing completion.
"Yes, this 18 month engineering marvel is now in it's final stages," reports North Wales Live.
He jokingly claimed to have informed the Chinese embassy and the International Space Station about this rival to the Great Wall of China.
David remarked: "The owners of property on West Shore will no doubt be onto their insurance providers for a swift reduction in flood risk insurance premiums."
However, he also mentioned that there is ongoing discussion in health and safety circles about whether it presents a trip or "fall-from-height" danger.
He joked: "All hail CCBC and our new tourist attraction. Llandudno really is booming."
Extended wall that is part of the recent flood defence work at West Shore, Llandudno
The development elicited a (possibly) tongue-in-cheek reaction from a local resident, who quipped: "Brilliant, the amount of sleepless nights I have missed over this is now such a relief! Can't put into words the excitement."
Another asked: "Has Hadrian been made aware of this? Have you got his email address."
Continuing with the witty remarks on construction speed, someone else commented: "Took less time to build the Berlin Wall!"
A representative for Conwy council explained: "The scheme is based on coastal flood modelling, to reduce the potential for coastal flooding and its impact.
"In both locations, the focus is on maintaining existing lines of defence and constructing new sections of defence where potential weaknesses were identified by coastal modelling carried out by specialists HR Wallingford.
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"Work at West Shore: After a competitive tendering process, MWT was appointed principal contractor for this £2M (North and West Shore) work. This work is funded by Welsh Government's Coastal Risk Management Programme (85%) and Conwy County Borough Council (15%)."
