Senedd Member backs STUN’s £500k alternative to protect coast without harming village

SENEDD Member Paul Davies has joined growing opposition to Pembrokeshire County Council’s £40 million Newgale road realignment, branding the project “ill conceived” and urging the authority to reconsider a more affordable, environmentally sensitive alternative drawn up by the local community.

The Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project (NCAP), developed by the council in partnership with consultants AtkinsRéalis, proposes rerouting the A487 inland through the Brandy Brook valley. The scheme is aimed at mitigating future storm damage and sea-level rise, but critics say it will devastate the landscape, split the village in two, and waste tens of millions of pounds.

Mr Davies is working with the Newgale campaign group STUN (Stand Up for Newgale), who have drawn up a rival plan costed at just £250,000–£500,000. Their proposal would see a 400-metre stretch of the existing shingle bank moved around 10 metres seaward, maintaining the existing A487 route and drastically reducing environmental and financial impact.

“I’m very disappointed that the Council is pushing ahead with its plans rather than working with the community on a much more affordable scheme,” Mr Davies told The Herald. “We know the Council is struggling financially and yet somehow, it’s content to find millions of pounds for a scheme that the local community opposes.

“In my view, Pembrokeshire County Council’s plans are ill conceived. Any changes to the infrastructure in Newgale must meet the needs of the local community and should aim to be as environmentally sensitive as possible. I’ve raised this at the Senedd, and I will be doing so again, urging the Cabinet Secretary for Transport to intervene and support the local community.”

‘We just want the council to talk to us’

The STUN proposal includes drainage measures, improved beach access for disabled users, and avoids any disruption to existing businesses such as the Duke of Edinburgh pub, surf shop, and campsite. It also claims to meet every target laid out in the Welsh Government’s Future Generations Act and Net Zero commitments—unlike the council’s more invasive plan.

Expert: Council’s modelling is flawed and alarmist

STUN’s report is backed by a detailed independent assessment from STUN’s Chair, Professor David Keeling, a retired academic who examined the coastal data underpinning the council’s justification for the new road. He concluded that the predictions of the shingle bank migrating inland were “unnecessarily alarmist” and based on “extreme upper-end climate scenarios” that do not reflect local conditions.

Professor Keeling states that moving the shingle bank 10–12 metres seaward would delay any significant landward movement by at least 80–100 years, while allowing real-time monitoring of sea level changes in future.

Historical evidence ignored, say campaigners

The group’s report also highlights historical records, dating back to 1795, showing that storm damage to the A487 from pebble over-topping has occurred only a handful of times in centuries—and was always remedied quickly and cheaply.

The 2014 overtopping event that prompted the NCAP plan, for example, incurred a one-off clean-up cost of just £13,000. STUN argues that even if such events doubled in frequency, it would still be more cost-effective to maintain the existing road than to spend £40 million on a new one.

Professor Keeling told The Herald that the council has ignored legally required procedures and failed to properly engage with local people.

“We want the council to communicate with us and properly assess our alternative plan,” Prof. Keeling said.

“Realigning the shingle bank 10 metres seaward would protect the road for the next 80 to 100 years, improve beach access, and save tens of millions of pounds that nobody in the village wants to see spent on a new road through Brandy Brook,” he added.

Local business owners worried

Local surf shop owner Rhys Morgan told The Herald: “This road scheme could finish us. Most of us here would rather see that money spent protecting the beach and improving access—not destroying what makes Newgale special.”

Legal concerns over council’s process

STUN has also raised concerns that Pembrokeshire County Council may have breached its obligations under the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. They claim that their realignment proposal was never properly considered at any stage and was later dismissed on a technicality.

The group is calling on the council to restart the decision-making process, re-evaluate the modelling data, and consult the public on the cheaper, less destructive option.

Consultation open until May 11

The statutory pre-application consultation on the NCAP scheme remains open until 11th May 2025. Residents are being urged to submit feedback and demand that all options—particularly the STUN proposal—are properly reviewed.

How to have your say:

Email: [email protected]
Post:
Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project Team
AtkinsRéalis
Floor 4, West Glamorgan House
12 Orchard Street
Swansea
SA1 5AD

Online: www.newgalecoastaladaptation.co.uk

Printed copies of the consultation documents can also be viewed at St Davids Library, City Hall, SA62 6SD:

Tuesday: 10:00am–1:00pm and 2:00pm–5:00pm

Thursday: 10:00am–5:00pm

Saturday: 10:00am–12:00pm

With mounting public opposition, academic backing, and growing political scrutiny, pressure is building on Pembrokeshire County Council to revisit its controversial plan—and engage with the community before it’s too late.