Cynwyl Elfed showing the gradient from the proposed lagoon to the homes below. Pic Elkanah Evans
Residents in Cynwyl Elfed have raised serious safety concerns over plans to build 31 new homes on land off Surgeon Street, where developers also propose a Sustainable Drainage System SuDS lagoon positioned some 60 feet above existing homes and the village school on a steep incline.
Locals say the site has long struggled with flooding during heavy rain, with water running off the hill and pooling on the road below. They fear the proposed lagoon, designed to manage surface water from the new estate, could make matters worse rather than better.
“We already see the road flood when it rains hard,” said one resident. “Now they want to hold a lagoon full of water above our homes and the school. If that ever fails, the results could be disastrous.”
Safety and Flooding Risks
Experts have warned that locating a drainage lagoon on such a steep slope, almost 60 to 80ft above the village, could create serious risks of overflow, soil erosion, or even structural failure, particularly during prolonged rainfall. In the worst case scenario, a breach could send thousands of gallons of water downhill in minutes, flooding homes and endangering nearby residents and schoolchildren.
Video. Supplied
Under UK planning law, SuDS systems are intended to reduce flood risk elsewhere and not increase it. Locals argue that this proposal, if approved, will increase the risk of flooding and become a danger to anyone living or walking close by including the local primary school..
The approximate location of the lagoon, just metres away from the primary school and high above the village homes below. Pic. Elkanah Evans
Traffic Congestion and Parking Pressure
Villagers also point to daily traffic chaos in the area. Large trucks, school traffic, and tight corners already make for hazardous conditions. Residents fear the development will only make it worse. The road is a main route between Cardigan and Carmarthen and residents claim that they have seen emergency services vehicles on stop with huge articulated lorries meeting each other head on in the village with nowhere to go. Residents have asked for some form of traffic management system either end of the village to avoid the incidents on the narrow stretch of road in the village. Some claim that levels of air pollution are also high and that they have suffered with sore throats and asthma as a result.
“What do we have to do to keep our community safe, our children able to walk to school in clean air and on safe pavements?” one resident asked. “We don’t even have a bus shelter for the children in the pouring rain and freezing cold. What are councillors for if not to represent us and help protect this lovely rural community. It appears that the answer is that they do not give a damn about us.”
A lorry performs a difficult turn in Cynwyl Elfed, a common occurrence according to residents. Pic. Elkanah Evans
One resident said: “We have been asking councillors to do something about this for years but no one seems to care about the people in this village. Someone is going to be killed here. The children struggle to cross the road and we have never seen a speed camera here to monitor the high speeds people are travelling at through the village. We have been ignored and forgotten.”
Community Voices Raised
The issue has already been brought before the parish council and the local county councillor, with residents calling for the plans to be reconsidered or significantly revised. Many are urging Carmarthenshire County Council to reject the application unless a safer drainage solution can be guaranteed. Welsh Water have also identified that the local sewage system can not cope with further development and that major works would need to take place with an estimated timescale of 2030 before that work is completed.
“We’re not against new housing,” another villager said, “but it has to be safe. Building a lagoon above people’s homes is asking for trouble. Don’t these councillors have a computer to do their research?”
Run off from the existing site has caused localised flooding in the village below. Pic. Elkanah Evans
Decision Expected Soon
The planning application is due to be considered by Carmarthenshire County Council in late November. In the meantime, campaigners are gathering evidence of past flooding and encouraging residents to submit their objections through the official planning portal. Quote planning reference PP-114-111828.
Vast amounts of water already run off through the wall on the west and south side of the development site. Pic. Carmarthenshire County Council Planning Portal
One property owner on the south side of the site said that dirty water and slurry had been running through his outbuildings for years. The resident who did not wish to be named said: “The water and slurry from the existing site has been filling the garage. We had to make holes in the garage to allow it all to run out. We can’t use it. There is a constant flow of dirty water outside my front door. I have been complaining for years but nothing has been done.”
For many in Cynwyl Elfed, the message has been clear; ‘Stick to the LDP constraints of 13 homes in the village and abandon this high risk lagoon idea’.
