Bathing Water Review Wales 2024

The aim of this consultation is to seek views on our proposal to identify The Warren, Hay-on-Wye and Nefyn Beach, Nefyn as bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 for the 2024 bathing season.

Welsh Ministers are required to identify popular bathing waters in Wales, monitor their water quality and keep bathers well informed about water quality at these identified sites. In Wales the bathing season runs from 15 May to 30 September.

One of the requirements under the Regulations is for the Welsh Ministers to annually review and publish the list of identified bathing waters in Wales.

Please submit your comments by 19 February 2024.

Please respond to this consultation by answering the questions set out in the response form. Responses can be submitted by:

Email: water@gov.wales

Or 

Post: 

Water Branch (Bathing Water Consultation)
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff 
CF10 3NQ

If you have any queries on this consultation, please email  water@gov.wales or telephone 03000250423.

Large print, Braille and alternative language versions of this document are available on request.

Mae’r ddogfen yma hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg / This document is also available in Welsh.

The Welsh Government will be data controller for any personal data you provide as part of your response to the consultation. Welsh Ministers have statutory powers they will rely on to process this personal data which will enable them to make informed decisions about how they exercise their public functions. Any response you send us will be seen in full by Welsh Government staff dealing with the issues which this consultation is about or planning future consultations. Where the Welsh Government undertakes further analysis of consultation responses then this work may be commissioned to be carried out by an accredited third party (e.g. a research organisation or a consultancy company). Any such work will only be undertaken under contract. Welsh Government’s standard terms and conditions for such contracts set out strict requirements for the processing and safekeeping of personal data.

In order to show that the consultation was carried out properly, the Welsh Government intends to publish a summary of the responses to this document. We may also publish responses in full. Normally, the name and address (or part of the address) of the person or organisation who sent the response are published with the response. If you do not want your name or address published, please tell us this in writing when you send your response. We will then redact them before publishing.

You should also be aware of our responsibilities under Freedom of Information legislation
If your details are published as part of the consultation response then these published reports will be retained indefinitely. Any of your data held otherwise by Welsh Government will be kept for no more than three years.

Your rights

Under the data protection legislation, you have the right:

• to be informed of the personal data held about you and to access it
• to require us to rectify inaccuracies in that data
• to (in certain circumstances) object to or restrict processing
• for (in certain circumstances) your data to be ‘erased’
• to (in certain circumstances) data portability
• to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who is our independent regulator for data protection.

For further details about the information the Welsh Government holds and its use, or if you want to exercise your rights under the UK GDPR, please see contact details below: 

Data Protection Officer:

Welsh Government
Cathays Park
CARDIFF
CF10 3NQ
e-mail: Data.ProtectionOfficer@gov.wales

The contact details for the Information Commissioner’s Office are: 

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF
Tel: 01625 545 745 or 0303 123 1113

Purpose of the Consultation

The aim of this consultation is to seek views about our proposal to identify The Warren, Hay-on-Wye and Nefyn Beach, Nefyn as designated bathing waters under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (the Regulations) for the 2024 bathing season.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify all popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health against faecal pollution and provide information to the public to enable them to make informed decisions about where and when they bathe.

Bather numbers is the criteria which the Welsh Government will apply when considering whether it is appropriate to designate a site. Any infrastructure or facilities provided, or other measures taken to promote bathing at the site will also be considered.

The Bathing Water Directive 2006/7/EC which put in place a mechanism to identify bathing waters in the UK forms part of retained EU law in Wales. The Bathing Water Regulations 2013 specify the statutory requirements associated with the management of bathing waters in Wales.

The Regulations require Welsh Ministers to annually identify popular bathing areas in Wales. The objective of the Regulations is to protect bathers’ health and inform bathers of potential health hazards associated with poor water quality. 

There are currently 109 designated bathing waters in Wales. Once a bathing water has been designated, the water quality is tested by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to support the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September. Designated bathing waters are classified as excellent, good, sufficient or poor depending on water quality sampling results. The bathing water quality classifications are based on two microbiological parameters: intestinal enterococci and E.coli.

The results of individual designated bathing waters in Wales are published on the Welsh government's website

Bathing waters are valuable for the recreational opportunities they provide to the people of Wales, the local economy and tourism. The Welsh Governments’ Programme for Government makes a commitment to begin to designate Wales’ inland waters for recreation, strengthening water quality monitoring to enable inland waters to reach the same high standards achieved by Wales’ beaches.

We have received a request from Friends of the Upper Wye for The Warren, Hay-on-Wye (OS Grid Ref: SO220426) to be considered for designation as a bathing water for the 2024 bathing season. The Warren as well as being situated within the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, the site is a Site of Special Scientific interest (SSSI) and Special area of Conservation (SAC) which are designated for riverine features.  

Bather Numbers

The application provided a bathing water survey for The Warren, Hay-on-Wye which identified over 1,300 swimmers and paddlers using the beach between 1 May 2022 and 20 September 2022. Over the same period, approximately 3000 other beach users were identified in the survey. 

The survey data was compiled by Friends of the Upper Wye’s team of volunteers over the 2022 bathing season (May 15 to September 30).

Facilities 

There is a carpark at the end of the rough track running down to the meadow with room for approximately 8 cars. Other parking is available in Hay-on-Wye. A public footpath runs above the riverbank.

Evidence of support

Information was provided on a local consultation and support for the proposed designation was evidenced by a photo taken at a specially convened public meeting in Hay-on-Wye on 5 December 2022, attended by more than 100 people who unanimously approved the application by a show of hands.

We have received a request from a member of the public for Nefyn Beach (SH300408) to be considered for designation as a bathing water for the 2024 bathing season. 

Bather Numbers

The application provided a bathing water survey for Nefyn Beach which was compiled by the applicant and a local swim group identified over 460 swimmers and paddlers using the beach between 5 April 2023 and 20 September 2023. The survey was taken over a period of approx. 154 days with people swimming for approx. 77 days. Photographic evidence showing members of the public in the water and on the beach was also provided.

Facilities

The application provided information regarding facilities at or nearby the site, including, public toilets and baby change facilities, parking nearby, life rings, kiosks and shops.

Evidence of support 

Evidence was provided on local consultation and support for the proposed designation from individuals, local groups, and businesses. 

All the responses to this consultation will be analysed and considered and the Welsh Government will publish a summary of responses.

Your name:    

Organisation (if applicable):

email / telephone number:

Your address:

Question 1

Do you agree or disagree with our proposal to designate The Warren, Hay-on-Wye as a bathing water for the 2024 bathing season?

What is your view on the proposal and your reason/evidence to support your view?

Question 2

Do you agree or disagree with our proposal to designate Nefyn Beach as a bathing water for the 2024 bathing season?

What is your view on the proposal and your reason/evidence to support your view?

Question 3

We would like to know your views on the effects the proposals would have on the Welsh language, specifically on opportunities for people to use Welsh and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than English.

What effects do you think there would be? How could positive effects be increased, or negative effects be mitigated? 

Question 4

Please also explain how you believe the proposed actions could be formulated or changed to have positive effects or increased positive effects on opportunities for people to use the Welsh language and on treating the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language.

Question 5

We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them:

Please enter here:

Responses to consultations are likely to be made public, on the internet or in a report.  If you would prefer your response to remain anonymous, please tick here: