14-07-2025
Council considers buying flood-risk homes and moving occupants out
Council considers buying flood-risk homes and moving occupants out
RCT Council has said it will engage with residents of 16 houses in Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl, to discuss their future needs, after Natural Resources Wales said a flood defence scheme was not viable.
Clydach Terrace In Ynysybwl where NRW had been considering a couple of options for flood risk works
(Image: Google )
Voluntary acquisition of properties by the council and help with relocating residents could be considered for houses at risk of river flooding in a south Wales street if needed.
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has said it is going to work with residents at risk of river flooding in Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl, to assess their housing and wellbeing needs after Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said a flood defence scheme was not viable.
The local authority has agreed to start engagement with the residents of numbers 1 to 16 Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl (excluding 6a and 6b).
This will inform a future decision by the council as to whether it uses any of its statutory or discretionary powers to intervene.
The council said this engagement was proposed due to the significant ongoing risk to health, safety and property from river flooding and the decision by Natural Resources Wales (the responsible flood risk management authority) that a flood defence scheme to protect the properties was not viable. £4.5m is to be spent on these streets after Storm Dennis and Storm Bert flooding
A council report said numbers 1 to 16 Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl (excluding 6a and 6b) were at high river flood risk from the Nant Clydach.
Article continues below
During Storm Dennis in February, 2020, the 16 homes were rapidly inundated with flood water with internal flooding up to 1.96m in depth.
Further flooding was experienced during Storm Bert in November, 2024 and residents of Clydach Terrace continue to live with the heightened fear of further flooding incidents, the report says. To get all the latest Rhondda news straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is the flood risk management authority in this instance and in June, 2025, it published its Ynysybwl Flood Risk Management Outline Business Case.
This looked at several possible flood risk management solutions for Clydach Terrace, including the construction of a raised flood defence wall.
But the assessment found that this was not an economically viable option under UK and Welsh Government funding rules for flood risk management purposes. You can read more about that here.
The report said residents of Clydach Terrace continued to live with the ongoing flood risk in the knowledge that there was no viable proposal available to protect their homes.
Article continues below
Given the significant risk to health presented and danger to life in this area and the recent decision by NRW, it was proposed that the council engage with the residents and owners of the 16 homes affected by flooding at Clydach Terrace to assess their future housing and wellbeing needs.
The council said this would allow a fully informed report to a future cabinet on any further assistance the council might be able to offer residents, which might include the potential voluntary acquisition of their properties by the council and relocation assistance if needed.
