Sea defence project reaches key milestone - for safety and nature
The high-profile Swansea Council project to strengthen and improve the Mumbles sea defences has reached a new milestone.
Contractors have put in the place the first large-scale concrete panels that form the new surface of the wall's 500m-long vertical section.
By the end of the project next year there'll be almost 100 of the panels side by side, each measuring 5m long by 4.5m tall.
They'll stretch from prom level down to the beach and from north of Oystermouth Square car park to around Mumbles Bowling Club.
The panels' textured surfaces - designed as part of a Swansea University project to encourage healthy sea life - are being created with a large-scale mould.
Council cabinet member Andrew Stevens said: "The casting of the first panels is a significant milestone for this project.
"They'll protect the community for many decades to come and - thanks to the attractively textured finish - will encourage biodiversity.
"As part of this project we're also upgrading the sloping area of the wall. There'll also be secondary defences in the form of low walls and grassed embankments.
"There'll be lots of greenery and no loss of trees. The work will provide an opportunity to improve other parts of the prom area. Hundreds of parking spaces will remain close to the seafront.
"We thank everybody in the local community, including businesses, and visitors to Mumbles for their understanding at this time of change.
"Our contractors continue to do all they can to minimise disruption."
Knights Brown divisional director Andrew Eilbeck said: "Our Mumbles team continues to work hard on delivering this fantastic improvement and will continue to do so through the wintry weather and beyond.
"We thank the whole community for their positive reaction and encouragement they continue to give us."
Homes and businesses around Mumbles prom are increasingly threatened by rising sea levels brought about by climate change.
The coastal defence project is being delivered by Knights Brown on behalf of the council. It's largely funded by the Welsh Government.
The thoughts of the public, business and others have helped to shape the project - and continue to do so.
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Photo: Cabinet member Andrew Stevens at a new section of textured Mumbles sea wall with Tim Waller, divisional manager of main contractor Knights Brown.
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