A message from Anna McMorrin MP & Julie Morgan MS
At the public meeting back in February in response to the flooding in Whitchurch, we promised to hold another meeting with NRW as they weren’t able to attend in February. Unfortunately plans for this meeting had to be put on hold due to the Coronavirus pandemic. As restrictions started to lift, we requested a socially distant site visit with NRW at the Melingriffith feeder/water wheel. NRW weren’t able to accommodate this at this time, so offered a meeting via Skype where three residents from the worst affected roads could attend and put forward questions on behalf of themselves and their neighbours. This meeting was held recently and was very productive.
Please find the notes of the meeting below and feel free to share these with friends and neighbours who might also be interested in the outcome of these meetings.
NRW are keen to continue to meet with us, and we will be having a further meeting shortly. NRW have also committed to attending a full public meeting when it is safe to do so.
We are keen to hear the views of everyone who was affected by the floods in February and would welcome any questions you have that can be put to NRW at the next meeting.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes
Anna & Julie
Meeting Update – Friday 22nd Jan 2021
You can find a more comprehensive update on the meeting here.
We know that the recent storms and heavy rain have been an unwelcome reminder of the flooding that some of you went through last year and continues to be a worrying time. Julie Morgan MS and I have been regularly meeting with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and representatives of flood-hit local residents since the flooding last year in Whitchurch to ensure appropriate measures are taken to prevent any future flooding. We met again this morning with NRW and Transport for Wales Trafnidiaeth Cymru(TfW).
Here’s a brief update on what Julie and I have been calling for and what steps have been agreed: Silt build-up under railway arches: The significant build-up of silt under the railway arches may have contributed to the flooding in February. We have been calling for urgent works to be undertaken and for the silt-build up to be removed. Julie and I met with Head of TfW who has responsibility for maintaining the arches and we are pleased they have now commissioned a site investigation and study to evaluate the impact of silt build-up and risks of any interventions at this site for e.g. on environment and ecology. TfW has committed to carrying out these works if the study demonstrates removing the silt will be beneficial, even if the benefit is only marginal. We were advised today that the study is expected to be completed by the end of February.
TfW has also committed to working collaboratively with NRW to resolve this as swiftly as possible for residents. Feeder and canal concerns: Residents have raised concerns about the erosion of the feeder and the canal and have called for this to be looked at urgently to help prevent future flooding. We understand that Cardiff Council are taking steps to secure funding for repair works to the canal and Julie and I will invite Cardiff Council to our next meeting for a fuller update on this. As well as the proactive and preventative work we’re calling for in the interim, NRW are also conducting a wider piece of work looking at all causes of flooding along the River Taff. This work is expected to conclude towards the end of the financial year and will provide the basis for future flood prevention measures. Julie and I have called for a joined-up approach between all stakeholders involved and we remain committed to getting to the bottom of the root causes so that we can ensure the right measures are in place to prevent future flooding. The full minutes of the meeting will be uploaded to our websites in due course.
We’d like to thank National Resources for Wales and Transport for Wales for their continued efforts to engage with local residents and address their concerns during this very distressing time. Julie and I will continue to work with the local community and stakeholders to ensure we achieve a positive outcome.
NRW has published its flood report which you can access here.
Minutes from Meeting October 9th with NRW:
Minutes from the virtual meeting August 25th with NRW:
