SWANSEA: Rain gardens spreading through Sandfields streets as second phase of flood-busting scheme takes root
Swansea’s rain garden programme is expanding, with new planting and pedestrian improvements now under way at Phillips Parade and Rodney Street in the Sandfields and St Helen’s area — adding to work already completed outside St Helen’s Primary School.
The scheme was first installed outside the school last year, where trees and shrubs were planted to soak up surface water after heavy rain, alongside improved paving and dropped kerbs to help pupils, parents and residents get around on foot, by bike or by scooter. The latest phase extends those improvements to new locations across the neighbourhood, with a further rain garden also installed at the end of Burrows Road, adjacent to Oystermouth Road.
Rain gardens work by capturing water runoff from roads and pavements before it can pool or cause flooding. The plants, shrubs and specially designed soil absorb the water, filtering out pollutants before they can reach local waterways — protecting the ecosystems that depend on them.
They also provide year-round food and shelter for pollinators including bees and butterflies, and bring seasonal colour to streets that might otherwise feel hard and grey. The combination of flood mitigation, biodiversity benefit and improved aesthetics in a single scheme has made rain gardens an increasingly popular tool for councils looking to improve urban environments on limited budgets.
The improvements form part of Swansea Council’s bid to introduce better walking and cycling infrastructure across the city, following a successful grant application to the Welsh Government’s Active Travel programme. Earlier reporting revealed that around £160,000 was invested in the first phase of the Sandfields scheme, with additional funding drawn from the Welsh Government’s Local Places for Nature fund and Natural Resources Wales.
The latest works were developed with community regeneration experts Urban Foundry, who worked with residents and local businesses to shape the plans. Consultation with the community was carried out before work began, with the scheme designed to reflect local needs and priorities.
Urban Foundry — who are also behind the recently opened Swansea Pottery Collective studio on Alexandra Road — have become a familiar presence in projects that look to transform underused or underperforming spaces across Swansea city centre and surrounding areas.
Stuart Davies, Head of Service for Transport and Highways at Swansea Council, said the measures were delivering a range of benefits for local communities. “These innovative measures are providing local communities with a range of benefits where links between streets for walkers and cyclists are improved,” he said.
“The introduction of rain gardens also provides a green and sustainable solution for spots within communities where standing water can occur during heavy rainfall,” he added.
The Sandfields programme is one of several active travel and green infrastructure projects the council has been delivering across the city. Previous coverage has highlighted similar improvements elsewhere in Swansea, as the council works towards its wider vision of developing greener spaces, cleaner air and lower carbon emissions in communities across the city.
The rain garden and active travel work in Sandfields follows a pattern that has been replicated across south-west Wales — with Carmarthenshire councils also receiving funding in the same grant rounds to deliver drainage and active travel improvements in their communities.
Work is ongoing at Phillips Parade, Rodney Street and Burrows Road. Residents can expect the planting to develop through the coming months as the gardens establish — with the full colour and wildlife benefits expected to be most visible by late summer and into autumn.
Related stories from Swansea Bay News
Rain gardens installed to tackle flooding in Swansea’s Sandfields
Our coverage of the first phase of rain garden installations outside St Helen’s Primary School.
Rain gardens and car park revamps: £100k drainage grants to tackle flooding in Swansea and Carmarthenshire
The grant funding behind the Sandfields scheme and similar projects across south-west Wales.
City streets’ new green feature aims to help combat climate challenge
Earlier coverage of Swansea’s green infrastructure ambitions.
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