New ambulance station plans under threat as councillors warned over flood risk

Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter

A new ambulance station could be refused after planning officers raised concerns over flooding at the proposed site.

The application to create an Ambulance Station at unit 10 on the Cain Valley trading estate in the town was lodged with Powys County Council in December last year by Richard Davies of the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust.

The scheme will come before Powys council’s Planning committee at their meeting on Thursday, August 6.

It was called in front of the committee by the local county councillor for Llanfyllin Cllr Pete Lewis due to “public interest” in the application

The Welsh Ambulance Service said in a supporting statement that the site will: “enhance the service we provide to the local population, improve our operational effectiveness, and ultimately save lives.”

The new station would replace the one at Coed Llan lane which is on the other side of the town.

Wales Ambulance Service said: “The current station which, due to its distance and infrastructure constraints, leads to extended travel times for our emergency vehicles in certain situations.

“The proposed site offers a much more central and accessible location, ensuring that ambulances can reach patients quickly and without unnecessary delays, particularly in times of peak demand.

“The station will provide our staff with a modern, purpose-built facility that promotes their wellbeing, offering adequate rest areas, potential training spaces, and better parking facilities.”

Cllr Lewis (Conservative) said: “I give my full support to the application.

“It is imperative that Llanfyllin maintain an Ambulance Station.

“The old station is out dated for the size of vehicle and also now there is need for a rapid response car to be stationed there as well.”

But an issue with the application is that the unit is close to the river Cain which could potentially cause flooding issues at the site.

Concerns raised 

Welsh Government environment body Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have raised concerns on this issue and have asked for a flood consequences assessment (FCA) to be included as party of the applications.

An FCA by Civil Engineering Solutions has said that the site is not expected to flood in a 100-or-1000-year incident caused by climate change.

Cllr Lewis added: “I believe there has never been any flooding of this site.”

In her report planning officer Hannah Miller believes that the proposal has not “demonstrated” that the consequences of flooding would be acceptable, and at the meeting she is expected to advise councillors to refuse the application.

Ms Miller added: “The proposed ambulance station constitutes a highly vulnerable development in a flood zone.

“The submitted FCA assessment fails to demonstrate that the development would remain operational and safely accessible during flood events, including the 0.1 per cent annual probability flood event incorporating climate change allowances.

She explains that under planning policy Technical Advice Note (TAN) 15 emergency service facilities are expected to: “remain operational and accessible at all times.”

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