A CHARTERED surveyor firm has played an important role in enabling two significant flood defence schemes to progress.

Bruton Knowles has been retained to deliver land agent support by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Conwy County Borough Council for crucial flood alleviation schemes in both South and North Wales.

The team has undertaken landowner negotiations and compensation support to Conwy County Borough Council on a flood defence scheme in Abergele.

The firm acted on behalf of the council during the first phase of the flood alleviation scheme worth £1.1million.

Planning permission was secured in December 2020 for the Eldon Drive flood alleviation scheme in Abergele, and contractor Griffiths Civil Engineering recently completed work on site to put in place drainage, a new lagoon and two bridges over an existing waterway.

This area continues to be susceptible to flooding and has been identified under the Welsh Government’s £36m allocation to local authorities and Natural Resources Wales (NRW).

Additional phases are planned to areas downstream of the initial phase of works.

Bill Simms, partner at Bruton Knowles and Joint National Utilities and infrastructure team head, said: “There has never been a more significant time for infrastructure projects such as these to come to fruition.

“Wales is one of the first countries in the world to have written climate change flood risks into new planning policy for developments, showing it is at the forefront of future-proofing its infrastructure.

“NRW and Conwy County Borough Council are playing a pivotal role in driving this forward through environmental schemes which seek to reduce flood risks.

“We’re delighted to be working closely with both organisations as a core delivery partner on these much-needed schemes which will protect local communities going forward.”

A survey conducted last year highlighted only 15 per cent of Welsh people believed climate change would impact significantly on the area in which they live.

Yet by 2050 and 2080, projections indicate that in Wales, it will become six and 13 per cent more rainy in winter respectively, exacerbating current flood risks.

At present, 60 per cent of Welsh residents live in coastal areas, and significant national infrastructure is located along the country’s coastline.

About 12,000 properties are thought to be at high risk from coastal and river flooding, rising by 260 per cent by the 2080s if defences are not preserved.

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Bill added: “Any project which demonstrates to local people how small changes can bring significant environmental benefits and mitigate against climate change will be instrumental in changing attitudes.

“Responsible surveying has an important part to play in this process, because it sits at the heart of sustainable and socially conscious development.

“This is something Bruton Knowles prides itself on and that our National Utilities and Infrastructure Team is fully geared up to deliver.”