Newport £14m flood project completed at Crindau

Artist impression shows a raised area and new paths at Shaftesbury Park

A £14m flood scheme to protect hundreds of homes in Newport has been completed.

The areas of Maindee, Crindau, Duffryn and Lliswerry were identified by Natural Resources Wales as being at high risk of flooding.

The Crindau flood management scheme, backed by Welsh Government funding, aims to protect more than 660 homes from the Crindau Pill and the nearby River Usk.

The Crindau area is susceptible to tidal floods.

Earlier temporary defences were in a poor condition, so in 2014 the Welsh Government approved funding for Natural Resources Wales to deliver a new scheme, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The flood scheme, comprising of sheet pilings, new walls and new embankments was built along a 2.6km stretch of the river, between the Great Western Railway Usk Bridge and the M4.

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Contractors Galliford Try, Walters, Alun Griffiths and Laurel Landscapes worked on the project, designed with climate change and predicted sea level rises in mind, allowing it to be adapted in the future.

New footpaths, cycle paths, public seating areas and a new amenity area on Albany Street, with a raised area, new trees and a children's fitness trail, have also been added.

Homes as viewed from Shaftesbury Park

Elsewhere in Newport, there are also plans for another scheme on the River Usk to protect more than 2,000 properties in the Liswerry area.

Lesley Griffiths, minister for environment, energy and rural affairs, said: "I am very pleased to note completion of the Crindau scheme, which will provide a great deal of reassurance and safety to those in the neighbouring area.

"Last month's flooding was a clear example of why we need to do everything we can to mitigate and manage the flood risk posed to communities across Wales. I am also pleased to note that the Crindau scheme has already helped to defend the neighbouring community from storms and record rainfall.

"Projects such as these form a key part of our flood strategy as we face the increased risks posed by the climate emergency."

Tim England, operations manager from Natural Resources Wales said such schemes can make "a huge difference to communities at risk of flooding".