New housing development given planning permission despite being on land vulnerable to coastal flooding, Rhyl, North Wales.


The area of the North Wales coast between Prestatyn and Abergele was reclaimed from an ancient salt marsh. As such it is flat, low lying and susceptible to coastal flooding. Climate change driven sea level rise increases the risk making it one of the most at risk coastal areas in the British Isles. In 1990 a combination of strong westerly winds a high tide and a storm surge breached 400 metres of the sea wall and inundated 2800 properties in Towyn and Kinmel Bay. This being the case, it is not a good idea to continue to build on such at risk land, yet this new developmenton the outskirts of Towyn was given planning permission.


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