Council may offer property buyouts to residents at risk of severe flooding

Anthony Lewis, Local Democracy Reporter

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 says it is going to work with residents at risk of river flooding in Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl, to assess their housing and well-being needs after Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said a flood defence scheme was not viable.

Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council has agreed to start engagement with the residents of numbers 1 to 16 Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl (excluding 6a and 6b) to assess their future housing and well-being needs and inform a future decision by the council as to whether it uses any of its statutory or discretionary powers to intervene.

Ongoing risk

The council says this engagement is 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 is not viable.

A council report says numbers 1 to 16 Clydach Terrace, Ynysybwl (excluding 6a and 6b) are at high river flood risk from the Nant Clydach.

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.

Solutions

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) are 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 the UK and Welsh Government funding rules for flood risk management purposes.

The report says that residents of Clydach Terrace continue to live with the ongoing flood risk in the knowledge that there is no viable proposal available to protect their homes.

Given the significant risk to health presented and danger to life in this area and the recent decision by NRW, it is 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 well-being needs.

The council says this will allow a fully informed a report to a future cabinet on any further assistance the council may be able to offer residents, which may include the potential voluntary acquisition of their properties by the council and relocation assistance if needed.