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A row of homes in a village in south Wales is to be bought by a local authority and demolished as they can no longer be protected from flooding caused by the climate crisis.
It will cost Rhondda Cynon Taf county borough council more than £2.5m to buy the 16 riverside properties, pay for legal costs and help to rehouse dozens of residents.
The Labour-led council believes it is the first time a local authority in the UK has bought such a large number of inland homes to protect householders from flooding caused by the climate emergency.
Residents of Clydach Terrace in Ynysybwl expressed relief and delight, explaining that children were too frightened to go to bed if it was raining and elderly people were terrified they would not be able to get out in time if their homes flooded again.
They said that when Storm Dennis hit in 2020, water from the nearby river, Nant Clydach, came into homes so fast that some people had to swim for safety.
Some homes were left with almost two metres (6.5ft) of water in their downstairs rooms and it has been either impossible or very expensive for them to obtain insurance.
The decision by the council’s cabinet on Monday comes as people across western Britain continue to be battered by repeated pulses of heavy rain and strong winds, causing some politicians and experts to warn that more homes will have to be abandoned because of the climate breakdown.
Ynysybwl (population 4,700) is a former mining village four miles north of Pontypridd characterised by rows of terraced stone houses built at the turn of the 20th century.
Clydach Terrace is separated from Nant Clydach by a retaining wall, but it is not big enough to stop homes being badly inundated.
Since Storm Dennis, Natural Resources Wales, the flood risk management authority, has explored possible solutions including the construction of a raised defence wall.
It found, however, that it was not an economically viable option under the UK and Welsh government funding rules and has said that because of climate breakdown, flooding at Clydach Terrace may become more frequent.
The conclusion led the council to consider the possibility of buying the 16 homes judged to be at risk and knocking them down, a move it describes as unique.
At the meeting in Pontypridd to decide on whether to buy the terrace, the local councillor Amanda Ellis said that when it rained, residents went into “fight or flight mode” and that some had suffered post-traumatic stress disorder after Storm Dennis.
“Residents are terrified,” she said. “This is no way to live, glued to the weather forecasts. This is no longer a one in 100 or 200 years event. It happens every few years.”
The council leader, Andrew Morgan, said building a new flood wall would cost as much as £9m and would still probably not protect the homes. He said Storm Dennis had hit the terrace hardest, but that homes had been repeatedly flooded since.
The council’s chief executive, Paul Mee, said the authority was under no obligation to buy the houses, but it was within its powers and the risk to life and property was likely to increase given the climate emergency.
After the cabinet voted unanimously to buy the houses, one of the residents, Paul Thomas, who has lived in the terrace for more than 40 years, said he was delighted.
“It’s been horrifying,” he said. “You only get a few months of rest in the summer. When the winter comes, you’re just waiting for disaster. He said his insurance was “astronomical”, but that he was lucky to get any cover at all.
Thomas has relatives living either side of him including two grandchildren. His voice broke as he said the family would probably have to live apart now. “But it’s got to be done and it’s for the best,” he said.
Rebecca Chadwick choked back tears as she said: “We’ve lived too long under the shadow of danger. Every weather warning triggers panic. We’ve had six long years trying to get this sorted.”
Chadwick, a mother of one, said she had lived all her life in the village and would try to find another home nearby. “It’s a lovely, strong community. I don’t want to move away completely.”
A report from council officers on Clydach Terrace said there had been “extensive negotiations” with the owner occupiers, tenants and landlords. A purchase price of £2.5m had been agreed in principle. Additional relocation assistance and incidental and legal costs of about £150,000 are expected.
The purchase and demolition will be funded from resources available within the council’s overall flood management and wider capital programme.
