Major step forward for new flood defence plan in Llanmaes, Vale of Glamorgan

A MAJOR step forward has been taken for new flood defence plans in a village in the Vale of Glamorgan.

The £2 million scheme for Llanmaes, a village northeast of Llantwit Major, includes building flood barriers and ditches, reprofiling and resurfacing roads and reconstructing pavements.

Vale of Glamorgan council has now applied for planning permission for the wide-ranging works.

Contractors are also now being searched for to complete the works, which should be finished by summer next year.

Councillor Eddie Williams, cabinet member for legal, planning and regulatory services, said “I and my fellow ward members, Cllrs John, Hanks and Norman, are well aware of the long-standing problems residents of Llanmaes have had with flooding.

“Addressing these issues has been a complicated process involving careful planning, but I’m hopeful we now have a design that can go a long way to preventing a repeat of previous incidents.

“A planning application has been submitted for the Llanmaes Flood Alleviation Scheme. We will also shortly be appointing a contractor to carry out the work, which we hope can be completed in the next 12 months.”

Llanmaes has suffered from serious flooding several times in the past few decades. The council has been looking at works to alleviate flooding since at least 2004, with a ‘pre-feasibility study’, followed by a ‘project appraisal report’ in 2007.

The planned works should intercept water flow to the north and northwest of Llanmaes, before the water reaches the village. The water will then be rerouted with ditches and bunds, as well as road reprofiling.

Planning permission has not yet been granted for the works, and it’s unclear when this might happen.