“Bring back our beach! Nearly 10,000 residents of the Welsh coastal town of Llandudno are requesting authorities to restore their sandy beach, which was replaced with large rocks to prevent flooding. The locals of this popular resort destination in North Wales are urging the Welsh Labour Government to allocate £24 million for a restoration plan that involves bringing back the sand and installing groynes as a protective measure against the sea. A petition endorsed by 9,800 individuals is urging the government to finance the removal of quarry rocks and the reinstatement of sand and groynes along Llandudno’s North Shore.
The petition highlights that in 2014, Conwy County Borough Council introduced around 50,000 tons of oversized and untested quarry rocks to the North Shore, resulting in the destruction of the beach. This action has made access difficult and hazardous for many, impacting the landscape negatively and harming the town’s primary economic driver, tourism. Advocates of the campaign have been striving to secure funding from the Welsh Government’s coastal protection fund to support a comprehensive restoration project that would reintroduce sand.
The proposed sand and groynes initiative, however, comes with a price tag of £24 million, a substantial contrast to the planned £7 million project that would retain the existing rocks. The petition has gained the endorsement of local Conservative Member of the Senedd (MS) Janet Finch-Saunders, who has called for signatures in support of the cause. She emphasizes the negative effects of the rocks on beach usage, citing safety concerns and limited accessibility. She stresses that Llandudno, known as one of the UK’s premier destinations and dubbed the “Queen of Welsh Resorts,” deserves to have its sandy beach restored.