‘The people vs the golf course’ - Prestatyn residents' anger on new sea defence priority

They believe Denbighshire County Council (DCC) has prioritised Rhyl Golf Club rather than them after it emerged that the new proposed sea defence had been altered to accommodate a hole on its course.

The original plans showed the sea defences cutting across the golf club grounds, but amended submissions just before Christmas showed the defences moved to being directly opposite the homes of residents of Green Lanes.

Previously, the golf club had been earmarked as a potential flood plain.

Residents fear that it will mean their bungalows being overlooked by a nine-foot high earth bund (a containment area to hold rainwater runoff), with people able to walk along it looking down on their homes.

The original plans presented to the public

A resident said: “While I am against the process that has happened and the misinformation, I am aware that something must be done.

“My main question is why the work that has been completed at (Rhyl beach) Splash Point cannot be extended along the golf course on the existing sea wall line.

“While the cost of this is excessive, no allowance has been made for maintaining the existing promenade and to me, it would appear that the intention is to let it crumble into the sea.

“The option of extending the Splash Point works and remediating the promenade now, in my opinion, suits the golf course and the public.”

Another resident, Jane Stacey, criticised the lack of consultation residents have received so far on this from DCC.

Mrs Stacey also argued that these plans could cause their property to become devalued, as well as ruining the “open coastal values to the front of the property”.

She said: “The only consultation we ever had was when everything had been decided, just a few weeks before Christmas.

“Eventually, it's going to be 9ft. That’s 9ft certainly right outside the first block of Green Lanes. It’s coming near to the fence that’s already there; that’s going to block our view completely.

“We’re going to have no open views, it’s probably going to devalue our property, eventually it’s going to have a cycle track along the top. That in itself will mean people can cycle or walk along there and look down not just into our gardens, but into our front rooms.

“We didn’t like the original plans, but we realised there’s a need for the defences. The original plan was cutting across at an angle. We’d live with that if needed, but that cut off what I think is the sixth tee of the golf course right opposite our windows now.

“It’s been done in favour of Rhyl Golf Club. You can no longer say ‘open coastal values to the front of the property’ because they’re not going to be open.

“I won’t be happy with anything right outside our front window. It can cut across very easily, which were the original plans. They can’t tell us why they decided against the original plans.

“We’ve been left out in the cold the whole way. It’s an invasion of privacy.”

A third resident, Mike Stacey, added: “I suggested that the bund should go directly from the road outside the (Salford By The Sea) holiday camp, straight across at an angle, to join up with the existing sand dunes.

“That would take the bund away from all of the properties here. But unfortunately, of course, the sixth hole would go, and they would’ve lost a little bit of the golf course.

“It seems to me that it has been put as close to the properties (as possible) and in favour of the golf club, as if the people who are living here haven’t actually been taken into consideration.”

The plans are also being opposed by Councillor Paul Penlington (Plaid Cymru; Prestatyn North ward) and Plaid Cymru's North Wales regional MS, Llyr Gruffydd, who saw for themselves the impact of the proposed wall during a site visit.

(L-R) Cllr Paul Penlington, Jane Stacey, Margaret Hampson, James Mather, Dilys Davies, Llyr Gruffydd MS

The MS said: "The likelihood of more extreme weather and coastal surges means that we have to prepare to defend properties along the coast.

“However, this scheme has been altered in a way that suggests planners have prioritised the golf course rather than residents, who feel they have been ignored in the process.

"I'm grateful to Cllr Penlington for drawing my attention to it and I hope that planning committee members will also consider whether the scheme serves the people or the golf club."

Cllr Penlington added: “I have argued that Prestatyn should be included in Denbighshire’s plans to improve sea defences for several years so I, of course, fully appreciate the need for work to be done as soon as possible.

“That work, however, should not have a detrimental effect on people’s homes and mental wellbeing.

“DCC have rushed revised plans through after a totally inadequate consultation period without giving anyone proper time, or information, to comment.

“I am extremely disappointed that residents’ opinions and the imposition on their properties has not been considered.

"I have now made a formal complaint about the pre-planning consultation held with regard to the proposed Prestatyn sea defences.

“We are very grateful Llyr has listened and took time from his busy schedule to visit the site and speak to some of the people affected by this.

“It would be good if Denbighshire had the same courtesy for residents.”

In response to the above comments, a DCC spokesperson said that the council has endeavoured to “minimise the impact” felt by residents and “balance the needs” of all parties.

Though a planning application has been submitted, the spokesperson stressed that residents are still entitled to share their views at this stage as part of the planning process.

The DCC spokesperson said: “The proposed flood defence scheme will protect around 2,100 properties in Prestatyn.

“The council has carried out a study which has shown some sea defences that protect Prestatyn are in a poor condition and the risk to properties will increase in the coming years.

“The scheme we have designed will provide a significant level of additional protection to those 2,100 properties.

“We have worked to minimise the impact and to balance the needs of all those involved and the proposals have been the subject of a full and extensive public consultation allowing members of the public to have their say.

“This also included a public meeting, newsletters and face-to-face meetings between residents and staff.

“A number of residents did feed back their concerns about the scheme as part of the planning pre-application consultation, and these comments have been fed into the planning process.

“The proposed scheme is expected to cost around £20million and, if approved, will be funded by the Welsh Government and DCC.

“The council explored alternative options, but these would have seen costs increase by up to £40m without any potential external funding available to cover this increase, meaning those alternative options were not viable.

“The current Welsh Government funding programme for coastal flood protection is only available for a limited time and it is, therefore, essential the council attempts to progress this scheme so that an opportunity to protect these communities is not lost.

“A planning application has now been submitted and members of the public can continue to engage and have their say as part of the planning process.”

In addition, Mike Pritchard, marketing director and spokesperson for Rhyl Golf Club, said: “For the last seven years, we have been under ever-increasing threat of losing the course (and closure) due to sea defence proposals and other requests to use the course.

Rhyl Golf Club

“We have worked with the local and regional authorities, plus the Welsh Government, to provide support to local residents (as part of the new Sea Defence Programme).

“If the worse case happens, our course and club will be used as a flood plain to capture and stop further inundation, saving residents from having the devastation of their houses being flooded.

“We have accepted that this is in the greater good for the many hundreds of houses and residents who live outside the perimeter of Rhyl Golf Club.

“This is not the first time that the club has done this - the club has been in existence since 1890, and we have given up more than 50 per cent of our land over many years, long before the houses in the area were built.

“The land has been used to build the houses that we are now aiding the protection of if the sea defences are breached again.”

Mr Pritchard refuted Mr Gruffydd’s claim that the golf course has taken priority rather than residents, adding that extra space has been provided to ensure the bund does not encroach on them.

Mr Pritchard added: “With the quotes from residents, we have acquiesced to provide additional space for the bund to not impinge on their privacy.

“We could have challenged this, as it takes more than 20 per cent of that fifth hole’s fairway out of action and further reduces the playing space on the course, but we didn’t.

“We know that, for our club to exist and continue, we need to be good neighbours to all who surround the course.

“We will continue to do this and will always show consideration where we are asked if concern is raised.

“It may be that those who have only recently purchased their house bordering on the course may not like our club or that we have a recreational facility that is in their eyeline, but the club has existed from more than 130 years and we don’t plan to give up existing.

“Many of our members are local residents and they themselves (like we as directors) have heard little if no objections to the saving of the club and course and its new, slimmer reconfiguration.

“They have every right to ask for representation, but a balance should be sought too. In fact, the support we have received from Rhyl and its residents, plus the Town Council and councillors such as Barry Mellor (Rhyl East) and Brian Jones (Rhyl South East), has been overwhelmingly positive.

“For a club with a great history, one of the few remaining attractions for Rhyl and something that gives local residents pleasure, we have gone above and beyond in providing our course as a flood plain.

“We understand that, at any time, we could lose the space to play for many weeks or months if not permanently.

“We have done this because we do care about those who live around us and we will continue to be a good community supporter."