EARLY plans to upgrade roads near Kinmel Bay promenade have been granted £140,000.

Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) has secured the funding from the Welsh Government Un-adopted Roads Pilot to develop proposals to improve the highway and drainage infrastructure of unadopted roads.

It will also aid access and mobility for vehicles and non-motorised users.

The cost of the improvements is estimated to be over £5million.

Once the design proposals have been agreed, a ‘shelf-ready’ tender package and construction costs estimate will be prepared to apply for funding for construction.

A CCBC spokesperson said: "Unadopted roads are recognised as a national problem, and we are pleased to have secured £140,000 under the Welsh Government’s Un-adopted Roads Pilot scheme.

"This will allow us to carry out investigations and to design improvements that would bring the estate roads up to an adoptable standard."

Darren Millar, Member of the Senedd for Clwyd West, said: “With around 250 homes, the estate is probably the largest single community affected by poorly maintained unadopted roads in Wales and as such this study is long overdue.

"Upgrading the roads there would make the estate a safer, cleaner and more attractive place to live. It would also have a massive impact on the quality of life for residents, many of whom have disabilities and mobility problems.

“I have been calling for improvements on this estate for years and have raised it numerous times with Welsh Government Ministers. The flooding in 2013 made the roads worse and they really are now in a desperate state.

“It is not right that in this day and age we still have roads that emergency vehicles are unable to access at times of crisis and I am pleased that positive action is at last being taken to address this.”