‘No-brainer’ plan to extend Filey’s sea wall approved by councillors with construction to start soon
Plans to extend Filey’s sea wall to protect against coastal erosion have been approved by councillors ‘absolutely unanimously’.
Construction work will begin next month after members of the Thirsk and Malton area planning committee approved the project on Thursday, February 20.
North Yorkshire Council said that the 16ft (5m) extension of Filey’s sea wall, including reinforcements to extend its lifespan by 50 years, was part of a long-term approach for the town’s coastal defences.
Filey’s 3,600 ft (1.1km) stretch of sea wall was built between the 19th and 20th Centuries, and shields around 800 properties.
A member of the committee, Coun Malcolm Taylor, said: “It’s a positive scheme very much supported by the committee and it is good for Filey.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting, he added: “We have to protect the town, it is a tourist resort, and the sea wall needs strengthening so that was the principle behind it.”
The committee was told that the works would take around four weeks and construction was set to begin in March.
Coun Sam Cross, who represents Filey, told the LDRS that the “much-needed works will be a big improvement on the seafront”.
He added: “I’m really pleased that it has been done through the council and the planning department.
“All the work should be done within 30 days and will start at the beginning of March.”
The scheme was supported by Filey Town Council and no objections were raised by Natural England, the Highways Authority, or the Environment Agency.
Coun Taylor added: “There were a few concerns about safety when it is being constructed and how long it would take because tourism is a vital industry and we wouldn’t want it to impact on that.
“[But] I have lived in Filey and I know it well – this is a good scheme and we have to protect our coastline, it’s a no-brainer, to be honest.”