Council’s Glynneath flood scheme wins top engineering award

Neath Port Talbot Council’s £3.6m Glynneath Flood Alleviation Scheme has won the Roy Edwards Award for Best Construction Project under £5m at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Cymru Awards.

The scheme, developed by the council’s drainage team with design partners Atkins Réalis and delivered by contractors Knights Brown, was praised for its innovative engineering and collaborative approach. It was funded through the Welsh Government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Programme.

Five years in the making

Work on the project began in 2019 and was completed earlier this year. Delivered in two phases, it included the construction of a reinforced concrete intake structure at Lancaster Close, designed to withstand a one‑in‑100‑year storm and protect homes and businesses around Rock Street, Robert Street and the town centre.

Engineers also installed a pressurised 900mm culvert system with additional upstream drainage to improve surface water management at Gelliceibryn. A further 900mm pipe was laid beneath a narrow footway and carriageway, while resurfaced roads and new concrete channels were added to improve runoff. At Glynmelyn Road, a new culvert and raised walls replaced a ford crossing, strengthening the area’s flood defences.

“Significantly reduced flood risk”

Cllr Scott Jones, Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet member for streetscene, said the award was a proud moment for the authority.

“These works have significantly reduced flood risk for residents and businesses and improved infrastructure resilience in the area,” he said. “The award is a testament to the ambition and passion for flood risk management held by our drainage team.

“This achievement highlights the importance of collaborative working, innovative engineering, and sustained investment in flood resilience.”

Welsh Government backing

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca‑Davies, who has responsibility for climate change, said the scheme would deliver long‑term benefits to more than 270 properties.

“Our investment in this scheme, totalling over £3.6m, is yet another example of our commitment to address the challenges we face from climate change,” he said.

“In recent years, we have invested more than £300m to protect communities across Wales from increasingly unpredictable and extreme weather, with this year’s record funding rising to £77m.”

Recognition for local resilience

The award marks the culmination of five years of work to strengthen Glynneath’s flood defences. For residents, it represents not just an engineering achievement but greater peace of mind as the community faces increasingly severe weather events.

Related Articles

• Council’s two‑phase £3.5m Glynneath flood alleviation scheme completed
  Five years of work culminated in major new defences to protect homes and businesses in Glynneath from flooding.
• Mumbles coastal flood defence scheme officially opens
  A £26.5m project has delivered a new seawall, reinforced coastal protection and a widened promenade, reducing flood risk to 126 properties and boosting the local economy.
• Ammanford’s £6m flood risk management scheme officially opened
  Welsh Government‑funded works by Natural Resources Wales now protect more than 300 homes, businesses and key transport routes in the town.
• Report reveals flood defence investment needed to keep pace with climate change
  A new study warns that Wales must increase long‑term funding to meet the growing risks of extreme weather and rising sea levels.

#AtkinsRéalis #award #civilEngineering #CllrScottJones #floodDefences #flooding #Glynneath #GlynneathFloodAlleviationScheme #HuwIrrancaDaviesMS #InstitutionOfCivilEngineers #KnightsBrown #NeathPortTalbotCouncil

£40m Newgale road scheme faces scrutiny as community backs cheaper alternative

The Newgale Coastal Adaptation Project, led by Pembrokeshire County Council and consultants AtkinsRéalis, proposes a new inland section of the A487, including a bridge over Brandy Brook, to replace the flood-prone coastal route. The plan follows repeated storm damage in 2014 and 2020, including a high-profile incident in which a bus was hit by a wave and stranded in floodwater — leading to the rescue of 10 passengers.

As previously reported by Swansea Bay News, preparatory work began in 2021 to assess soil and road conditions, with engineers gathering data to refine the preferred route. The council has cited climate change and coastal erosion as key drivers behind the scheme, warning that the existing road may become impassable and unsafe in the coming years.

In fact, councillors were told in 2014 that the storm-battered village of Newgale is unlikely to exist in its current form within 60 years, with a “managed retreat” of infrastructure and housing considered inevitable.

However, the scheme has drawn criticism over its cost and impact. Local campaign group STUN (Stand Up for Newgale) has proposed a far cheaper alternative: realigning a section of the shingle bank 10–12 metres seaward to create an over-wash barrier between the bank and the A487, designed to capture pebbles and sea water during storms.

The alternative proposal will be raised at the 17 July council meeting by Gareth Chapman, chair of Solva Community Council, who argues that the STUN scheme offers up to 85 years of protection at a fraction of the cost. He also questions the necessity of the inland diversion, noting that flooding often results from blocked river outlets rather than coastal breaches.

Chapman’s formal question to the council calls for a full examination of the STUN proposal under WelTAG (Welsh Government Transport Appraisal Guidance) and asks for written feedback to be provided to Solva Community Council within 14 days of the meeting.

Critics of the council’s plan say it risks altering the character of Newgale and its iconic views, and that public opinion has not been adequately considered. The council has already spent millions on consultation fees, with some estimates placing the total cost of the scheme as high as £60 million.

The outcome of the meeting could determine whether the council proceeds with its current plans or reconsiders the community-led alternative.

Swansea Bay News will continue to follow developments as the debate unfolds.

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#A487 #BrandyBrook #bypass #floodDefences #flooding #Newgale #Pembrokeshire #PembrokeshireCouncil #SolvaCommunityCouncil #StandUpForNewgale #STUN

Usual “no expert” disclaimer, but…

Surely flood defences don’t solve any problems, it just shifts it downstream.

With some places now seeing almost annual flooding as nearby rivers burst their banks, isn’t it time to let nature do its thing and turn some areas over to the rivers?

Obviously this is no easy thing, but trying to control nature is pointless.

#flood #flooddefences

Flood defences in disrepair across #England

#ToryWreckage

The asset condition of #FloodDefences shows proportion of those being in adequate condition now stands at just 92.6%, it was 97.9% in 2018-19

Optimal level is 98%

Approximately 5.7mil properties in #England at risk of flooding. an increase of 500k between 2021-22 & 2022-23 alone

1% decrease in adequate flood defences puts additional 10k properties at risk

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/15/key-flood-defences-in-disrepair-across-england-as-wet-autumn-looms-data-reveals

#CutsKill #austerity #flooding #ClimateChange #UK

First Minister Eluned Morgan MS and Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS visited the town to mark the completion of the project and met members of the community set to benefit from the £6 million project funded by the Welsh Government and delivered by Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Ammanford has experienced several flood events during the last 40 years, with past events between 1979 and 2009 causing significant damage to homes, roads, and railway lines.

Without NRW’s intervention, 223 properties (198 homes and 25 businesses) in the town would have remained at risk of flooding in an extreme flood event (1% annual chance), with road and rail infrastructure at risk of being severely affected. This figure would have increased to 386 properties over the next century when climate change impacts are taken into consideration.

Construction work on the Ammanford Flood Risk Management Scheme began in the summer of 2023, focussing on mitigating flood risk from the Rivers Loughor, Marlas and Lash.

The scheme incorporates a range of measures, including flood defence embankments and walls along the Rivers Loughor and Marlas, and a new earth embankment at Tir-y-Dail field to prevent floodwaters from reaching nearby homes, businesses and railways. Property level protection measures on Aberlash Road will be undertaken next year.

The scheme also reduces flood risk to Ammanford Railway Station, key transport routes, and Coleg Sir Gâr’s campus.

Additional benefits include environmental enhancements such as removing a significant barrier to fish passage at the Tir-y-Dail weir, creating habitat for otters, birds, and bats, and collaborating with Carmarthenshire County Council to plant native woodland and enhancing the recreational offer in the area.

Work completed in August 2024, reducing the flood risk to 349 residential, 37 non-residential properties and critical infrastructure in the town.

Prif Weinidog, Eluned Morgan said:

“Ammanford has been affected by several floods in the last 40 years. It was really good to visit today to see how this work will benefit people living in the area.

“It’s important we take action now to protect communities most at threat from the impact of climate change. Alongside Natural Resources Wales, we will continue to protect the most at risk communities from flooding across Wales.”

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“We know the effects of climate change aren’t going away and I hope this scheme will provide the community of Ammanford with the much needed reassurance they need that they’ll be protected.

“Our flood and coastal funding has continued at record levels, and we have already protected over 8000 properties across Wales from at risk from flooding.”

Huwel Manley, Head of South West Operations for NRW, said:

“In the face of the challenges posed by a changing climate and more frequent periods of extreme weather, we are working hard to help communities adapt to, and mitigate against, the increasing threat of flooding to homes and businesses across Wales.

“While we will never be able to stop all flooding, we have delivered a robust scheme in Ammanford which will significantly reduce that risk.

“The completion of this scheme marks a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to safeguard communities from the impacts of climate change, providing effective, long-term peace of mind for those who live and work here, and bringing wider ecological and community benefits, making Ammanford a more resilient and thriving place for its residents for years to come.”

[Lead image: Natural Resources Wales]

https://swanseabaynews.com/2024/09/13/ammanfords-6m-flood-risk-management-scheme-officially-opened/

#Ammanford #floodDefences #NaturalResourcesWales #WelshGovernment

Growing proportion of #England’s #FloodDefences in disrepair, analysis finds

Poor state of #CriticalAssets in many parts of country leaves thousands of homes and businesses more vulnerable to #storms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/01/growing-proportion-of-englands-flood-defences-in-disrepair-analysis-finds
#ToryPoliciesInAction #UnderfundingPublicServices

More than 4,000 #English #FloodDefences ‘almost useless’, analysis finds

Exclusive: Hundreds of ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ defences are in areas battered by #StormBabet, according to analysis by #Unearthed
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/oct/30/more-than-4000-english-flood-defences-almost-useless-analysis-finds
#ToryPoliciesInAction #ClimateCrisis #DontLookUp #ToryIndifference

Big seawalls cutting people off from the water? This same thing could happen in London if we don't get serious about delivering the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan now! It's not just about a new Thames Barrier. London still has a chance to design good waterfronts. But time is running out. https://buff.ly/3QFKx7h

#riverthames #tidalfloodrisk #floodrisk #seawalls #flooddefences #te2100plan #thamesbarrier #london