Author Topic: West Shore Issues  (Read 359673 times)

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Offline Hugo

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #375 on: February 18, 2012, 07:49:19 pm »
My old friend won't thank you very much for that SDQ and he didn't find it palatable at the time either!     I remember driving down Gloddaeth Avenue many years ago and a workman popped his head out of the sewer system. I recognised him as Wally Gartside aka Wally Fag on account of his compulsive smoking habit and true to form old Wally had a fag in his mouth.
I quickly put my foot down on the accelerator just in case Wally blew the system up.      :o

Offline mull

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #376 on: February 18, 2012, 09:49:38 pm »
I remember sometime in the 1980s there used to be a mast with a yellow flashing light above the steps between the car park and opposite the Sandringham.
When taking the dog out for a run about midnight suddenly there was a loud bang the light started flashin and water started gushing out of a pipe for several minutes.
What was all that about ?


Offline Hugo

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #377 on: February 25, 2012, 03:47:21 pm »
I went for a walk on the West Shore with my dog today and found that the entrance where I normally go in was closed due to the construction of a footpath.
I bet it'll be covered in sand as soon as it's completed.

Offline dwsi

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #378 on: February 25, 2012, 05:02:17 pm »
it's already covered, they are trying to find it  ;D

Offline DaveR

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #379 on: February 25, 2012, 06:27:33 pm »
 :laugh:

Offline snowcap

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #380 on: February 25, 2012, 06:50:20 pm »
nice one dwsi

Offline mull

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #381 on: February 25, 2012, 06:56:59 pm »
You could not make it up  !

Offline chemirocha

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #382 on: February 27, 2012, 09:08:43 am »
Sometimes when I walk along the West Shore I remember the times in my early teens when we swam there at high tide from the steps by the Toll House.  A gang of us from Cwm Place would go there and Trojan's Dad was often there when we went.
The water came up to about the 3rd step there as the water was deep but further along it didn't because of the changes in levels of the sea defence.   I cannot ever remember the sea coming over the wall (there is a secondary wall anyway) and there was no problem with sand in the area of the sea defence. In fact there must have been a lack of sand because I have a vague memory of undermining being mentioned.
Just out of interest I emailed the Environment and Technical Services at CCBC asking about the construction of the new Sea Defence and this is the reply I received:-

Dear Mr Hughes,
Three rock armour breakwaters were constructed in 1991 and additional beach material was imported at that time.  I attach a drawing showing the as-constructed works.

Computer modelling of existing beach movement at that time identified insufficient beach material entering this area to sustain the required levels. The breakwaters were constructed to naturally increase beach levels and additional material was imported to raise the flood defence levels and provide additional protection to the existing sea wall.

 
The scheme has been successful in improving flood defence levels at West Shore and the wind blown sand issue is evidence of healthy beach levels.  In recent years wind blown sand has been returned to the upper beach, however, we now have a licence in place that will allow us to deposit this sand lower down the beach below the mean high tide level.  This should decrease the mobility of the sand thereby reducing the amount of sand subsequently blown onto the promenade.

I hope this answers your query, please let me know if you need further information.

Regards

It's a good good response I think from CCBC- thanks for posting it Hugo. The computer models they used in 91 would not have been able to predict how the build up of sand would change over 20 years. As ever, when dealing with the natural environment, nothing remains constant (you only have to look at how sand banks further out come and go over a period of a few years to see that) and it is obvious that something now needs to be done. Maybe just shifting the sand further out will work, it is at least a low cost option to try first.

To be honest, the grey cobbles on the West Shore beach, are terrible in terms of appearance and stopping access to the beach for holiday makers and I was hoping the higher sand levels would improve that side of things but I appreciate the difficulties it causes some visitors and those living next to the beach. However, I'd rather lose the beach altogether than have my house flooded so what do you do? It'll be interesting to see how the householders in the area are affected by the changes to house insurance with respect to flood zones that are about to hit us.

Offline Ian

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #383 on: February 28, 2012, 08:29:03 am »
Quote
The computer models they used in 91 would not have been able to predict how the build up of sand would change over 20 years.

That's true;  but I wonder if anyone checked to see the effect of building the breakwater in Rhos?  That's made a substantial difference to sand levels near the walls, completely burying the steps and hand rails down to what used to be the old beach level.

The West-facing aspect is probably more problematic, but UK seaside resorts have known the effect of building breakwaters for years.  I'll bet that - somewhere - CCBC would have been warned that the eventual sand build up would need management - and thus, money - to prevent it overwhelming the surrounding infrastructure. And it makes sense: the scheme was designed to increase the beach level, but it was unlikely to stop rising once it had reached the irritant level.

Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Hugo

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #384 on: March 03, 2012, 03:17:43 pm »
The footpath has now been tarmaced but is still closed to the public,  I wonder if it's closed until they sow any grass seeds in the adjacent sand.   My bet is on the sand covering the path before any grass grows on the edge of the path.
Meanwhile the boating lake has been drained and the Swans are just walking about aimlessly. I hope that this time the CCBC clear the sand out of the lake AND the White Rabbit Statue pool

Offline Nemesis

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #385 on: March 04, 2012, 08:37:14 am »
Hope they don't leave the pond empty for ages like last time. The locals were supplying the swans with washing up bowls of drinking water.
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Hugo

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #386 on: March 10, 2012, 01:11:06 pm »
The Pond is still empty and there was no sign of any sand clearance in it when I drove past today.  As I was driving down Abbey Road there were about a dozen Billy Goats in the old Tennis Court.  There is a lot of sand in there now but at least the grass can grow through it.

Offline Blodyn

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #387 on: March 13, 2012, 10:53:56 pm »
Nice to see the goats making themselves comfy!

Offline Nemesis

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #388 on: March 14, 2012, 08:25:04 am »
Trouble is they are back to wandering at night-- we are all securing our gates carefully and sweeping up the remains of our hedges each morning-- not to mention the little 'gifts' they leave.
Mad, Bad and Dangerous to know.

Offline Hugo

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Re: West Shore Issues
« Reply #389 on: March 15, 2012, 04:26:56 pm »
I had a walk on the West Shore today with my dog Marco and saw that they have started to clear the sand from the Yachting Pond.  The dumper trucks were now dumping the sand below the high water mark, but as it was nearly high tide anyway that wasn't really that far out!
I had a nice conversation with a couple who frequently walk their dogs on the West Shore and as they said everything from the pond is getting dumped on the beach. That's sand,sludge,stones, rocks and probably a few cans and plastic bottles so there's not much chance of getting a Blue Flag for the beach next year!
It looks like the Welsh Water have had a dig by the White Rabbit Statue and found some metal covers, I wonder if there are any more hidden beneath the encroaching sand?
I was told that the sand in the White Rabbit pond is not getting cleared though.   ???