Recreational Angling Mitigation in the Old Colwyn Coastal Defence Scheme
YourAnglingVoice has been asked to look into the issues inhibiting the recreational angling enjoyment of the new pier at Splash Point, Colwyn Bay. Specifically, the pier has been rendered useless to anglers because of fixed gill nets being set within 60 yards of the end of the pier, entangling any recreational angling lines that are cast, which risks the creation of ‘ghost gear’ in the area.
It is noted that the only viable species to be targeting in numbers with gill nets in this area is bass, which is a fisheries management concern because there is no permitted fishery for bass from gillnets, meaning they can only be landed as bycatch. However, we focus instead on the planning requirements and spirit of ensuring the litigants offered to obtain support during public consultation are effective.
We ask the decision makers to act quickly to ensure that a 300 yard spatial closure to commercial fishing practices to include gill netting and working of other gear types that will cause conflict with the anglers this space was designated for, is imposed around this new pier.
Background: Coastal Defence Works and Angling Access Impact
Conwy County Borough Council’s Old Colwyn Coastal Defence and Active Travel Scheme is a major project upgrading sea defences along 1.2 km of coastline in Old Colwyn, North Wales. The works include a new 720 m rock revetment (“barricade”) to protect the promenade, raising the promenade and road by about 1.5 m, and other improvements. These necessary defences, however, reduce access to traditional shore angling spots. Construction of the rock armour and higher seawall means anglers can no longer easily fish from the beach or old promenade in the affected section, “restricting usable space” for recreational fishing activity. Local anglers and residents raised concerns during planning consultations that the development would “impact angling in the area” by limiting where fishing could take place. In the existing condition, anglers often fished from the promenade, but this was deemed dangerous in a shared pedestrian/cyclist space. The Council acknowledged “the current use of the promenade by anglers was dangerous to other users because it is a shared space”. Thus, the planning process had to address the loss of safe, accessible fishing areas as a side effect of the new defences.
Inclusion of a Fishing Platform as Mitigation
To tackle these concerns and mitigate the loss of beach/promenade fishing access, the scheme incorporated a dedicated fishing platform (a small pier-like structure) at the eastern end of the promenade (Splash Point) as a key component. According to the project design summary, “the coastal works design included… a fishing platform” among its features. Importantly, council consultation feedback highlights that “the plans include a dedicated area for anglers to use… separate from the shared space for cyclists and pedestrians”, namely this new fishing platform. The fishing platform was explicitly designed to provide an alternative, safe location for recreational angling after the works, addressing public concerns. The Council explained that this “proposed fishing platform is a safe and accessible location for fishing”, and that angling along other parts of the new promenade would henceforth be discouraged for safety reasons. In other words, the new platform serves as a mitigation measure: it preserves and even improves the opportunity for sea angling in Old Colwyn by concentrating it at a purpose-built spot, offsetting the loss of the informal fishing access that existed previously along the promenade and beach.
Planning Consent and Requirements
The inclusion of the fishing platform was not an afterthought but part of the planning strategy to secure support and consent for the overall scheme. In fact, this platform was handled under a separate planning application and already had its own planning permission at the time the main promenade works were being proposed. The Council’s consultation report notes that the anglers’ area (the platform) “already has planning consent under a separate application”. This suggests that early on, planners recognised the need for the platform and pursued its approval independently, likely to ensure there was a firm commitment to anglers’ mitigation before or alongside approving the larger defence project. Providing the fishing platform helped address objections related to recreational amenity loss – effectively it was a required element in practice to allay public concerns and satisfy planning considerations about maintaining local leisure opportunities. While we did not find an explicit condition in the planning consent wording (such as a formal condition requiring the platform), the available evidence shows it was integral to the project’s acceptance. By proactively creating a designated angling facility, the Council met its obligation to consider and mitigate negative impacts on community recreation caused by the development.
Local records from 2021 confirm the plan to construct the fishing platform as part of the first phase of works. Council documents describe an initial £6 million phase (begun May 2021) that would “see the construction of a beach access structure, [a] fishing platform and the extension of the rock revetment westwards from Splash Point”. This indicates the platform was funded and built in tandem with the sea wall and revetment upgrades, underscoring that it was a planned mitigation measure, not a later add-on. The platform’s installation (with piled foundations, decking, and railings) was substantially completed by early 2024, in time for the promenade’s reopening.
Significance of the Fishing Platform for Recreational Enjoyment
In summary, the new “mini-pier” fishing platform is clearly a key component of the Old Colwyn defence scheme’s planning and design, intended to compensate for lost fishing access and to continue the tradition of sea angling in a safe manner. It was introduced directly in response to public consultation feedback about lost recreational enjoyment, and the Council made it part of the project’s deliverables to ensure the scheme did not permanently alienate local anglers. This mitigation was important for securing community support and aligning with planning principles that seek to protect recreational amenities. By spending considerable money on this platform, the authorities demonstrated that maintaining recreational angling opportunities was a priority outcome alongside the engineering works.
However, for this mitigation to be effective, the fishing platform must remain usable for its intended purpose. If external factors (for example, commercial fishing gear placed immediately in front of the platform) render it effectively unusable for anglers, then the whole point of providing the platform as a compensatory measure is undermined. The planning rationale makes it clear that the platform was meant to ensure continued recreational angling “enjoyment” despite the new defences. Therefore, it would be reasonable to argue that additional management steps (outside the planning realm, such as spatial fishing restrictions near the structure) may be necessary to uphold the spirit of that planning mitigation. Ensuring a clear, net-free area around the pier would align with its intended role as the safe, designated angling spot. In essence, the planning and consultation documents show the platform is there specifically to mitigate loss of access for recreational anglers – a point that strongly supports calls for measures (like a 300-yard netting exclusion zone) to guarantee that this mitigation remains effective and the investment in the platform realises its full benefit for the community.
Sources
- Conwy County Borough Council – Old Colwyn Promenade Coastal Defence Consultation Feedback (Angling section addressing loss of fishing space and dedicated platform) conwy.gov.uk.
- Conwy County Borough Council – Old Colwyn Coastal Defence Current Work (Phase details including fishing platform at Splash Point) conwy.gov.uk.
- Conwy County Borough Council – Press Release: Old Colwyn Promenade Open (project overview noting fishing platform as part of £18M scheme) conwy.gov.uk.
- BRE Group Case Study – Colwyn Bay Waterfront Project (Phase 3: Old Colwyn) (design overview listing the fishing platform in the coastal works) bregroup.com.
- Bay of Colwyn Town Council – Council Minutes/Reports (2021) (reference to planned construction of a fishing platform and beach access steps as part of phase 2b works) colwyn-tc.gov.uk.
