Mastodawn

Rain gardens and car park revamps: £100k drainage grants to tackle flooding in Swansea and Carmarthenshire

Swansea streets in line for rain gardens

Swansea Council has scooped grants to draw up plans for rain gardens and other drainage features around Beach Street, St Helen’s Road and the Brynymor Street junction. The aim is to cut down on surface water flooding in busy city streets and stop polluted run‑off pouring into drains and streams.

Carmarthenshire car parks targeted

Carmarthenshire County Council will use its share of the cash to design drainage improvements at Llandovery Castle car park and Newcastle Emlyn car park. Both sites have long struggled with flooding, and the new schemes are intended to stop dirty water flowing into the Tywi and Teifi rivers — both protected Special Areas of Conservation.

Schools join the fight against flooding

The charity Trees for Cities has also been awarded funding to design drainage projects at three schools — St Cadocs, St Illtyds and Glyncoed — where rain gardens and other SuDS features could help keep playgrounds and classrooms dry while boosting biodiversity.

Sandfields shows what’s possible

The new funding comes hot on the heels of a rain garden already installed in Swansea’s Sandfields area, where planters and green drainage features have been used to soak up excess water and reduce flooding risk for residents. The Sandfields scheme has been hailed as a practical example of how sustainable drainage can transform urban streets — turning problem flood zones into greener, more resilient spaces.

Rain garden installed outside St Helen’s Primary School in Sandfields, Swansea, designed to reduce flooding and boost biodiversity.
(Image: Swansea Council)

Backed by Welsh Government

The grants, worth between £15,000 and £30,000 each, come from the Welsh Government’s Nature and Climate Emergency Capital Programme, which also supports peatland restoration, mine clean‑ups, fisheries and national forests.

“Greener, more resilient communities”

Helen Haider, Lead Specialist Advisor at Natural Resources Wales, said:

“These grants will help the five projects move another step towards creating greener, more resilient communities. Sustainable urban drainage solutions can help us tackle both climate and nature emergencies — reducing surface water flooding, pollution and enhancing biodiversity.”

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#BeachStreet #BrynymorStreet #Carmarthenshire #CarmarthenshireCouncil #CarmarthenshireCountyCouncil #flooding #LlandoveryCastleCarPark #NewcastleEmlynCarPark #NewcastleEmplyn #rainGarden #RiverTeifi #RiverTywi #Sandfields #StHelensRoad #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #TreesForCities

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The Lantern

Helena Sep 14

A reference photo rather than a beautiful one showing one of the rain gardens being installed along Glasgow’s Byres Road (a main shopping road near Glasgow Uni). There were more rain gardens all around the University area.
Good to see sustainable urban development systems being introduced to prevent flooding & increase greenspace - the planting here is new, there were some impressive alder trees in some of the more established rain gardens off the road.

#RainGarden #SolarPunkSunday #Glasgow

Editor Aug 28

Rain gardens installed to tackle flooding in Swansea’s Sandfields

The largest scheme is outside St Helen’s Primary School, where trees and shrubs are being planted in a purpose‑built garden to help soak up surface water after heavy rain. Improved paving and dropped kerbs have also been added to make it easier for pupils, parents and other residents to get around on foot, by bike or scooter.

The council said the work is part of a wider programme to enhance active travel routes across Swansea, backed by Welsh Government’s Active Travel fund and other public and charitable grants. Around £160,000 has been invested in several Sandfields locations, focusing on closing gaps in pedestrian and cycle connections where streets end in cul‑de‑sacs.

Andrew Stevens, Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, said: “The funding we have secured for walking and cycling, in the main, is used to create new routes that connect communities, enabling people to travel in a more sustainable way.

“Some of this year’s settlement has also been directed towards the introduction of sustainable and innovative measures that not only make it easier for people to walk and cycle but also introduce green infrastructure within local communities. This is a great way of enhancing local communities, encouraging civic pride in where they live, as well as developing better sustainable transport links for those living there.”

A further rain garden has been created at the end of Burrows Road, next to Oystermouth Road. Rain gardens capture run‑off from roads and pavements, reducing the risk of flooding, filtering out pollutants before they reach waterways, and providing habitat for pollinators year‑round.

Cllr Stevens added: “Rain gardens are a great way of tackling minor flooding issues that can occur in streets. They help to capture excess surface water and boost biodiversity in urban areas when shrubs and plants are included in the design.”

#ActiveTravel #CllrAndrewStevens #floodPrevention #flooding #rainGarden #Sandfields #StHelenSPrimary #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil

Native Plants Feb 15, 2025

Spent the morning sowing seeds for our Knob Hill Native Plant Gardens. I'm trying to grow Buttonbush from seed - if it sprouts, this shrub will go in our future #RainGarden.

Rain gardens collect and filter stormwater, reduce flooding, and provide habitat and food to wildlife.

#WinterSowing