Concerned Resident – Clydach Brook Wall

Response from a concerned and worried resident regarding Clydach Brook Retaining Wall

“I can’t believe the destruction the latest storms have brought to parts of the UK in the last couple of weeks. I can’t imagine my home being under feet of dirty water and the devastation it must cause. Which brings me to the subject of this letter.

We have in this village one vital piece of infrastructure that protects about 80% of the houses from the devastation of being flooded and that is the old stone wall in front of what was the Vaughans pub. Quite some time ago there was a meeting held in the Church Hall to tell the people of Resolven that there was to be money spent on flood prevention and they detailed the work that they were going to carry out. This work was to include a new wall outside the houses of Ardwyn Terrace, an extra course of stonework on top of the existing stone wall and lifting the steel structure that forms the railway bridge.

I suggested in that meeting that there was no wall on the other side of the cost cutter store and so this was added to the list of work to be done. That wall was built of a single brick thick and was a couple of months later partly knocked over and had never been replaced.

The old stone wall was made higher, and as for the steel structure, the bolts to hold it in place are still there for all to see but where is the steel.

All this information brings me back to the main subject which is the old stone wall and it’s condition. Anyone with a knowledge of building will tell you that the wall will get weaker with age and that wall has been there a long time. I read an article by Councillor Dean Lewis in which he states that he had been informed that the wall on the roadside is in good condition. I would suggest he goes and look for himself that there are trees growing out of the wall all along it’s length. I can’t imagine the damage the roots are doing. The wall is in a terrible state of repair, look back at the photos on this very site to see the water going down Commercial Road.

We should be doing everything we can to prevent this happening again, the warning signs in the collapse of part of this old structure should not be ignored.

In closing, I would suggest this most important structure be inspected by independent engineers and the results published on this site.”

Regards

J R Geary

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