Row erupts after Builth Wells councillors spotted Natural Resources Wales doing flood prevention work in another town
A row has erupted after Builth Wells councillors spotted Natural Resources Wales workers doing flood prevention work in another town, which it was told was no longer best practice or cost effective.
In a letter to a Natural Resources Wales boss, Builth Wells Mayor Councillor Mark Hammond asked ‘why is Builth Wells being treated differently to other areas?’
It came after councillors were sent pictures on social media of NRW carrying out de-shoaling work in Y Bont Fawr, Dolgellau, months after a meeting in Builth Wells was told it was no longer best practice or cost effective.
Natural Resources Wales said flood modelling is essential to determine if removing shoal material would reduce flooding and without this evidence they can’t get permits for de-shoaling.
They say they can’t give a timeline for modelling at Builth but they are committed to doing it.
Builth Wells Mayor Councillor Hammond hit back saying; “They are letting the community down by constant inaction and excuses.”
Builth Wells and neighbouring Llanelwedd have suffered very badly in recent years from flooding of the River Wye.
Members of the town council and others attended a meeting at the Llanelwedd Arms Hotel in April, to discuss the flooding issues within the community.
At that meeting, a discussion was held with NRW representatives regarding the 20000+ tonnes of shale/gravel build-up to the east of Builth Bridge, as well as other build-ups to the west of it.
Councillor Hammond said: “This build up is quite clearly responsible for directing flood waters into Builth Wells, which not only has an effect on the economy, but also causes a main trunk road to be closed.
“Unfortunately, the NRW representatives, despite being given a tour of the sites after the meeting stated that removal of the build-up was no longer look upon as good practice, the cost benefit ratio prohibited any action, as it was not in the Welsh taxpayers interest and there was no up to date flood modelling plan for the area in any case this could still be five to six years away.”
Councillor Hammond said the response was very disappointing and he said the council was angry when they then received social media pictures of NRW doing the work in Dolgellau.
In his letter to Gavin Bown, NRW Head of Operations in Mid Wales, Councillor Hammond said; “I am sure that you will have a suitable explanation for what appears to be less than equitable service, and I have been asked by the Council to formally request that you let us know why our area is being treated in this way,” He also provided pictures of some of the more recent flooding in Builth Wells to illustrate the issue.
Mr Bown said: “Communities across Wales can experience significant flooding issues when we endure severe weather and we understand the concerns of people in Builth Wells and other communities, and the calls for de-shoaling of the river as we approach Autumn.
“Flood modelling is essential to both assess if removing shoal material from the River Wye would reduce flood risk and also to understand if it would create other problems. Without this evidence, we cannot obtain the legal permits needed for de-shoaling.
“Flood modelling work in this stretch of the Wye is a priority for us, but is a specialist area of work and we are having to manage, on a risk basis, similar work for high priority locations across Wales that have also experienced property flooding.
“Although we can’t confirm a firm timeline, we are committed to completing the modelling work.”
NRW said as part of a new flood risk management scheme for Dolgellau in 2016 detailed modelling was used to design the scheme, but also to provide the necessary evidence needed to determine the trigger point where de-shoaling is required to ensure the standard of protection provided by the scheme was maintained
Councillor Hammond responded; “NRW has unfortunately not carried out any work on the Wye at Builth for decades, and has failed to undertake any remodelling for a significant number of years.
“It is equally regrettable that although the company makes grandiose statements about the future, if you read between the lines the words are merely stating why they won’t do anything for ages to come as opposed as how they actually intend to deal with the issues.
“They are letting the community down by constant inaction and excuses. With a management team that seems to lack any coordinated strategic plan, I do not see this changing for many years to come”
