The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has published its latest report – Building Resilience to Flooding in Wales by 2050.
The report presents bold but practical recommendations for Welsh Ministers to future-proof Wales against the growing risks of flooding over the next 25+ years.
With one in seven properties in Wales now at risk of flooding, the report couldn’t come at a more important time – especially with this figure set to increase by more than a third by as the effects of climate change worsen and the UK Committee on Climate Change warning that Wales is not ready for the impacts.
Outlining 17 recommendations within a Future Flooding Framework for Wales, the report emphasises natural solutions for tackling this – placing nature and community integration at the forefront of increasing Wales’ resilience to flooding.
This approach is typical of NICW, the independent infrastructure advisory body for Wales – which works with local communities to ensure its recommendations reflect real-world needs and create practical, locally-driven outcomes.
Eluned Parrott, Lead Commissioner on the project, said, “As part of our work, we visited some of the communities who have been affected by flooding in recent years, such as the Conwy Valley and Pontypridd. The impacts felt have been devastating, but we also learned that these communities are not content to be passive victims and are ready to act.
“What’s more, during the eighteen months that we’ve been working on this project, it has become increasingly clear that we cannot ‘concrete’ our way out of the risks we face. We must adopt more holistic solutions, such as restoring the natural environment’s ability to store water higher in river catchments, and empowering local communities to take action.”
To achieve this, the report lists the recommendations within four key categories: Governance; Structure and Policy; Collaboration, Partnerships, and Community; Funding and Capacity; and Awareness, Skills and Data.
To drive regional collaboration the report recommends engaging local communities directly in flood-related decisions – with initiatives like Citizen Juries and a new Water Resilience Forum.
On the governance side, the report calls for the appointment of a Water Commissioner and the creation of a 30-year resilience strategy to drive Wales-wide, innovative flood solutions.
To boost awareness and skills, the report suggests integrating climate adaptation into Wales’ school curriculums and providing flood resilience training at a regional level.
Lastly, to enhance funding and capacity, it recommends diversifying funding sources and introducing Welsh Government subsidies to help homeowners invest in flood resilience measures.
Dr Eurgain Powell, Lead Commissioner, said, “Although flooding can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, awareness of flood risk; how to access information; and what actions local governance and real people need to take to respond to flooding, remains very low.
“To resolve this, our work has shown that we need a different approach – one that works with people and nature to drive real change. Ultimately, we believe that success will be driven by good communication and a shared responsibility and sense of urgency between government, business and communities.
“We hope the findings of this report will empower communities to voice and act on their own futures, with the support of Welsh Government – to ensure a resilient, dynamic, and abundant future for generations to come.”
Read the report, Building Resilience to Flooding in Wales by 2050