PENRHYN Bay residents must tolerate loud “banging and crashing” from coastal defence work starting at 5am and finishing at 10pm after councillors agreed workers could start earlier and finish later.
Conwy’s environment, roads, and facilities department applied to the council’s own planning department, seeking permission for the variation of agreed planning conditions.
Council contractors are currently carrying out coastal defence work on Penrhyn Bay beach and promenade.
Whilst Conwy has planning permission to carry out noisy work between 7.30am and 7.30pm Monday to Friday, councillors on Conwy’s planning committee agreed at a meeting at Bodlondeb to extend the hours the contractor can operate.
The new working hours will now be 5am to 10pm from Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday remaining as they were previously (7.30am to 1pm on Saturday with no noisy activity on Sundays).
Councillors heard how a public consultation had taken place, but the council had only received one letter of objection.
Speaking at the meeting this week, Cllr Chris Cater explained the contractors wanted to extend the hours to finish the work more quickly.
“There is a big benefit to this, in that all the noise and crashing and disturbance on the shore and promenade will not take long,” he said.
“There has been wide notification and consultation with the neighbours here, which has been very important because banging and crashing in the early hours of the morning and late in the evening is not something that anyone enjoys.”
He added: “I’m surprised there has been only one objection.”
Cllr Ifor Lloyd added: “You can’t make an omelette without breaking an egg, and they have to break an egg pretty quickly now while they can.”
Contractors are moving large rocks and constructing a T-shaped rock groyne, raising the eastern groyne, repairing the existing seawall, carrying out beach nourishment, and making public realm improvements.
The work includes building a pedestrian and cycle crossing, a beach access ramp, relocating and extending a car park, adding street furniture, and resurfacing the promenade.
Soft landscaping will also be carried out at Glan y Mor Road and Penrhyn Bay Promenade.
According to the application, the new working hours will allow the contractors to finish the work in December 2023 as opposed to the former finish time of May/June 2024.
