Beach Road, Hirael
We’re working to help improve the water quality of the Menai Strait. Here you’ll find more information about work we’ll be carrying out on the wastewater network in Hirael, Bangor and how it may affect you.
Why are we doing this work?
Sewers in Bangor are combined sewers, which means that wastewater from kitchens and toilets are carried by the same pipes as roof and roads rainwater.
During heavy rainfall, the additional surface water and wastewater is stored in a storm overflow tank, at our Beach Road pumping station, however, during significant rainfall, when this tank is full and can’t take any more, the water flows out of the storm overflow into the bay. This storm overflow is in place to stop the network from backing up and flooding homes and businesses in Bangor.
To help protect the local environment and water of the strait, which forms part of the Menai Strait Marine Special Area of Conservation, we will be carrying out work to help reduce the number of times the storm overflow is used. One way to do this would be to separate the surface water and wastewater in the area, however, this would mean digging up most of the roads in Bangor which would cause major disruption to residents and businesses in the city and would take several years.
Another, much less disruptive way, is to build a large underground storage tank which will hold back flows during significant rainfall and then slowly release the water back into the system when there is enough room. This is what we plan to do in Beach Road.
How are we doing it?
We will be putting in a large underground storage tank under the football pitch on Beach Road. As we will need space for the machinery and a storage area as well, we will be using most of the football pitch and grassed area during our work.
Byw’n Iach (Gwynedd Council) who own the football pitch and have given us permission to carry out the work on the site, and to make the necessary changes to the field to get the work done. Once we finish the work, we will of course put everything back as it was.
After we put in the tank and finished the work, we’ll then cover it up with grass and re-mark the football pitch so that it will still be a pitch and grassed area for people to enjoy.
It’s important that our team can maintain the tank after it’s finished, to carry out this maintenance we’ll need to create a track next to the field and there will be some manhole covers alongside the playing field.
When are we working?
We will start this work mid- February 2024 and if everything goes to plan, we should be finished by the middle of 2025, but we’ll do our best to finish as soon as we can.
We had planned on working 12 hours a day, but following a review of the programme we now plan to work Monday to Friday 7.30am to 5.30pm but on some occasions we may need to work later or on weekends to get the work done.
Our partners, Alun Griffiths, will be carrying out the work on our behalf.
What will the process look like?
How will the work affect you?
The work will not affect the water or wastewater service but as with any large construction project, there will be times where there will be some noise, construction vehicles, and disruption to traffic in the area but the team will do their best to reduce disruption where they can.
Community fund
Did you know that Welsh Water has a Community Fund which your community could benefit from? If you live in an area where work is taking place — and you’re fundraising for projects to benefit the community — click below for more information about our £5,000 Community Fund. We also have an additional £250 to donate to four community groups in the Bangor area during our work. Please follow us on Facebook where you’ll find more information on this soon.
Find out moreFrequently Asked Questions
Byw’n Iach (Gwynedd Council) owns the playing field, they have given us permission to carry out the work on the site, and to make the necessary changes to the field to get the work done. Once we finish the work, we will of course put everything back as it was.
Yes, the work will not affect your wastewater services.
No, this work will not affect your water supply.
Should all go to plan, the work will start on the 12th February 2024, and will be finished by mid-2025. However, we will need to reseed the field after we put the tank in, the new grass will take until Spring/Summer 2026 to establish before the field can be used again.
We had planned on working 12 hours a day, but following a review of the programme we now plan to work Monday to Friday 7.30am to 5.30pm but on some occasions we may need to work later or on weekends to get the work done.
The work will not affect your water or wastewater service but as will any large construction project, there will be times where there will be some noise, construction vehicles, and disruption to traffic in the area but the team will do their best to reduce disruption where they can.
As will any large construction project, there will be times where there will be some noise while we work, but the team will do their best to reduce disruption where they can.
We do anticipate noise when we are piling, but we will be pre-augering the ground to reduce noise when piles are vibrated in, and also a noise barrier will be installed between the working area and the road. We can share the dates for the piling activities nearer the time.
We are not planning on having any additional traffic lights on Beach Road. However, there will be a number of construction vehicles coming and going to the site, and there will be times where there will be large deliveries to site that may slow down traffic.
After we put in the tank and finished the work, we’ll then cover it up with grass and re-mark the football pitch so that it will still be a pitch and grassed area for people to enjoy. As we will need to reseed the field after we put the tank in, the new grass will take until Spring/Summer 2026 to establish before the field can be used again.
So that our team can maintain the tank after it’s finished, we’ll need to create a track next to the field and there will be some manhole covers alongside the playing field. We will also work with the community to add meaningful contributions to the local area during, and after the work.
No, there will be no sewage smell during and after the work.
Access to site will be from the Beach Road East Car Park. Contractors doing the work for us will be Alun Griffiths, as they are already on site doing the flood defence work for YGC, this means we won’t have to go through planning to create a new temporary access into the field from Beach Road, we also won’t need to set up a new compound on the site.
Other support available to you
Sometimes, our customers need a little extra help. Whether it’s finding a way to save money on your monthly bills, fixing a leaky loo or signing you up to our priority services register, we’re here to help. Please visit our website.
