Plans to demolish historic aqueduct to reduce flood risk dubbed ‘lazy’

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

Proposals put forward by Natural Resources Wales, that could see the demolition of a 200-year-old aqueduct, have been dubbed as “lazy” by the Inland Waterways Association.

The criticism came after a consultation was carried out by the Welsh Government department which listed five potential options to reduce the flood risk for 27 properties based alongside the river Neath.

The area is said to have a long history of flooding, though two of the options Inland Waterways Association say they believe are favoured by Natural Resources Wales involve the complete or partial demolition of Aberdulais Aqueduct.

False impression

However, Natural Resources Wales say they believe the IWA have given “a false impression of the intent” reflecting “a misunderstanding of the purpose of the consultation”.

The Aberdulais Aqueduct, which was first opened in 1824, is recognised as a Scheduled Ancient Monument. It spans the River Neath immediately south of the A465 in Aberdulais, and carries the Tennant Canal over the River Neath.

It is located approximately 2 miles north-east of Neath, and consists of a 104-metre-long structure made up of ten arches bridging over the river. It is of masonry construction, though the condition of the structure is said to have “deteriorated significantly over the years.”

Obstruction

A spokesperson for the IWA said: “In times of flooding, the Aberdulais Aqueduct is perceived as an obstruction to the flow of the river. Flooding of the adjacent land and properties has occurred on several occasions. The properties in Canal Side have a long history of flooding, with damaging events in December 1979 and October 1998.

“In recent years, climate change has worsened the situation and floods have become more regular, with damage to the aqueduct. A structural inspection report commissioned by IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group in December 2021 showed that urgent works were required to prevent further damage to the Ancient Monument, but nothing has been done so far.

“In its consultation, Natural Resources Wales admits that demolition of the aqueduct would have relatively little impact in reducing floods, but the local view is that NRW would like to demolish the aqueduct so it can be seen to be doing something.”

Speaking shortly before the closure of the consultation, they added that the demolition of the the structure would “forever frustrate restoration proposals to bring the Neath and Tennant canals back to life as well as impacting the wellbeing, environmental and heritage benefits provided by the Canal.”

Sympathy

IWA deputy chair Sue O’Hare said: “Whilst the Inland Waterways Association has every sympathy with the residents of Canal Side, demolishing one of Wales’s renowned historic structures would be nothing short of bureaucratic vandalism while not achieving the aim of significantly reducing the flood risk.

“Over the years a great deal of voluntary effort and public money has gone into bringing the Neath Canal back to life for the benefit of the community. IWA calls upon the owners of the Neath and Tennant Canals (St Modwen and Port Tennant Canal Company), Neath Port Talbot Council and the government agencies concerned to work together to rescue this precious piece of heritage and amenity for the benefit of future Welsh generations.”

Natural Resources Wales said they are disappointed with some of the comments made, which “appear to reflect a misunderstanding of the purpose of the consultation.”

Merrissa Fallas, projects and programmes delivery officer, for Natural Resources Wales said: “The Aberdulais Flood Risk Management (FRM) project seeks to improve the knowledge and understanding of how flood events impact the whole community and determine if there are viable options to reduce the flood risk.

“Natural Resources Wales (NRW) is proud of the extensive industrial heritage of the area and understands that each asset is intrinsically linked to the community, as well as being of international importance.

“Climate change increases the risk to all of these assets and this is why NRW is working closely with all agencies, including Cadw and Neath Port Talbot Council to ensure that we treat every feature equally and with respect.

“In order to assess the flood risk impact of structural features positioned within and adjacent to the river channel, which includes the aqueduct, NRW has recently commissioned a new hydraulic model which clearly illustrates the passage of high water during a flood event.

“This model will help all agencies to develop the most appropriate and cost-efficient response to the frequent risk faced by the community, helping to improve resilience to flooding.

“Since November 2023, NRW has hosted a number of workshops, including an open invitation drop-in discussion event, which allowed everyone to meet with NRW representatives.

“The online consultation is an extension of this discussion, allowing users to study the findings of the new hydraulic model at their leisure and enabling people to contact the project team directly for further discussion.

“The purpose of the online consultation was to demonstrate the findings of the new hydraulic model and with it we tested the risk management scenarios which had been initially proposed by our consultants and the community.

“The consultation demonstrates that alterations to the aqueduct are of small consequence during larger flood events and the model indicates that significant changes to the structure result in detriment.

“NRW does not have a preferred option at this stage. All constructive discussion is welcomed as it will help to develop a sustainable, realistic and resilient response to the effects of climate change for the community, if there is one.

“The current consultation is intended to collate feedback on the effect of the options previously identified with the knowledge that the model indicates high risk flood events will continue to present a risk for this community.

“We are disappointed to read the critical comments issued by IWG. These appear to reflect a misunderstanding of the purpose of the consultation and gives a false impression of the intent.

“NRW are looking to reinforce existing relationships within the community and to build new links with interested stakeholders, helping to support the Aberdulais community.

“By sharing information, we can work together to hopefully develop a positive, sustainable improvement. We would welcome an opportunity to discuss the flood risk impacts on the wider community with IWA.”