Aberystwyth A Changing Coastline?

We are all familiar with Aberystwyth's historic Victorian sea front and were shocked to see the devastation visited upon it by the storms last week.

Whilst the effect upon the town has been immediate what has been forgotten is the effect upon the agricultural community as sea walls were breached.

Certain areas in the county have always been prone to flooding and certainly livestock will have been lost but the re building needs to be handled carefully.

The competing ecological interests of protecting sensitive areas of scientific interest of the coastline versus the interests of those work the land need to be balanced.

In this balancing act an early and methodical consideration of these interests will hopefully serve these competing interests in ensuring that the defences are put back in a way that protects the fragile rural economy not only for the next five years but for the next twenty five years.

The use of experts who understand the commercial impact of such matters must be essential, as is the need for those affected in the same areas with similar problems to pool resources in developing their coping strategies.

Government may help but there is an opportunity to negotiate with local authorities and other agencies to develop better structures whilst the sympathies and agenda is firmly fixed on how to help and assist those so affected.