Flood Defences

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:32 pm on 14 December 2021.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 1:32, 14 December 2021

Llywydd, I thank Darren Millar for those questions. I know what a close interest he takes in flood and coastal erosion issues in his constituency, and I know that, in his own personal history, he has direct experience of what it is to be flooded, so I know he brings a great deal of passion and expertise to these issues. I'm very glad that the Welsh Government has been able to review the outline business case for the Llanddulais-Kinmel Bay coastal scheme. We've been able to award Conwy council £450,000-worth in funding for the full business case and the detailed design. I hope that that will be an opportunity to take into account the points that the Member has made about, as well as the urgent need to protect people's homes, the coast being a national asset here in Wales—it brings many visitors—and that that work needs to be done sympathetically in order to make sure that those very important economic aspects are sustained into the future. I thank the Member for what he said about TAN 15, Llywydd. The implementation date has been put back by 18 months so that we can make sure that the basis on which that advice will be founded—the maps and so on—is in the best possible order. But the purpose of TAN 15 is to make sure that houses are not built in future in places that put them at direct risk of flooding. There is no standing back at all inside the Welsh Government from the underlying purpose of TAN 15 and the revised advice note that will be published. We want to get it as good as we possibly can. The delay will allow us to work further with local authorities on the detailed information that lies behind the policy, and then it will need to do what Darren Millar says, in making sure that it protects those communities that otherwise would be at risk.