Heledd Fychan Canol De Cymru - South Wales Central

I have actively campaigned on the issue of securing support for communities at risk of flooding since being elected as a Member of the Senedd. The political pressure from myself and the Plaid Cymru group in the Senedd has managed to gain many concessions and more financial backing for flood schemes throughout Wales.

As you may be aware, the Rhondda Cynon Taf flood team, in conjunction with Natural Resources Wales, held a two-day event at Canolfan Pentre last week to discuss the work that has been done to date and to look at the options available for future works.

Pentre has been sited as being the area most at risk of surface water flooding in Wales, and the scheme that has been recommended by the drainage team hopes to mitigate any future flooding events. I want to make sure that any scheme takes into account that future events could very possibly be worse than Storm Dennis, which caused such devastation in Pentre.

A member of my team attended the event last week and had a long discussion with officers from RCT and NRW. The plan, along with further upgrades to the existing system, is to create a new system that would see an upgrade and diversion to an existing culvert and storm pipe, and then a new culvert and new storm pipe that would run from the mountainside down through the village and to the river. I very much welcome this proposed development, but again reiterate that it needs to be future proofed for future flood events. We cannot afford to take our foot off the pedal now.

The scheme would take at least two years to complete, but could take longer. The first year of work would require all utilities that are currently underground along the chosen path of the new pipe to be moved to one side, and then the second year would see the digging of the trench to lay the new pipe. This is a very ambitious programme that will require all utilities and the Council to work in harmony for the good of the community.

If you didn’t manage to get to one of the sessions last week, you still have time to look at the scheme online and you have up until the 17^th of the month to respond to the RCT schemes.

Click HERE to go to the consultation and see all the proposals

If you are worried about any of the details regarding the scheme, you are more than welcome to contact my office to discuss things.

NRW are looking to replant areas that they had cleared with native trees, creating a woodland area. This will have many benefits, but as far as flooding is concerned will allow the trees to take much of the water from the mountainside.

None of us want to see the scenes we saw in 2020 repeated, and I very much hope that this work will help protect homes and businesses in the future.