Council to continue talking to Pantteg residents over best way forward / Y Cyngor i barhau i siarad â phreswylwyr Pant-teg er mwyn cytuno ar y ffordd orau ymlaen

Council to continue talking to Pantteg residents over best way forward

Now Neath Port Talbot Council’s decision to evacuate people from their landslip threatened homes in Cyfyng Road, Pantteg, Ystalyfera, has been upheld by an independent tribunal – with the appeals process over – the authority is continuing its dialogue with local residents.

And the Council is progressing well with its programme of inspecting houses in areas defined as being at “high risk” and “very high risk” of landslip damage on an updated risk and hazard map of Pantteg drawn up by the authority’s geological experts, Earth Science Partnership (ESP).

A total of 14 homes have been inspected so far – five in the high risk zone and nine in the very high risk zone. The authority is seeking the continued co-operation of residents so the programme can be completed as soon as possible.

The inspections involve visual examinations of the interior and exterior of properties under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). In the first instance, the Council will concentrate on inspecting homes in the very high risk zone.

Another meeting has been held with the owners of homes in Cyfyng Road which were the subject of Emergency Prohibition Orders (EPOs).

It was In August 2017, after ESP warned that a series of landslips in Pantteg posed an immediate danger to life for people in Cyfyng Road, that the Council issued the EPOs requiring residents to leave on safety grounds.

Most in the privately owned homes left, many with help from the Council, but four people from three properties appealed against the Council’s action to the independent Residential Property Tribunal (RPT) Wales.

RPT Wales rejected the appeals – not only finding the Council had proved there was a real risk to residents from landslides – but agreeing with the Council’s experts that none of the appeal properties in Cyfyng Road were built on solid rock.

Last month, RPT Wales rejected two last minute appeals against its upholding of the Council’s action bringing the appeal process to an end.

It is understood three people continue to live in the landslide threatened homes in Cyfyng Road in contravention of the EPOs.

The Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Cllr Rob Jones said: “Now the appeals process is over we want to work with the owners and residents of homes in Pantteg to ensure the best – and safest – outcome.

“Our officers are making material from Earth Science Partnership’s exhaustive investigation into the landslide issue in Pantteg available to residents to help them with insurance claims.

“We are grateful for the community’s co-operation over the home inspections programme and would like that to continue and we aim to continue talking to residents to find the best way forward.”

ESP is continuing its detailed examination of ground conditions in Pantteg with new LiDAR surveys (involving drone mounted scanners) and a slope stability investigation. Its current phase of work started after a series of landslides in 2017 but the area has suffered ground movements since at least 1897.

Y Cyngor i barhau i siarad â phreswylwyr Pant-teg er mwyn cytuno ar y ffordd orau ymlaen

Mae penderfyniad Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot i gael pobli adael eu cartrefi yn Heol Cyfyng, Pant-teg, Ystalyfera, oherwydd y bygythiad i’w cartrefi o dirlithriad, wedi’i gymeradwyo gan dribiwnlys annibynnol. Gyda’r broses apelio wedi dod i ben, mae’r awdurdod yn parhau â’i drafodaethau â’r preswylwyr lleol.

Mae’r cyngor hefyd yn gwneudcynnydd da o ran ei raglen archwiliotai mewn ardaloedd sydd wedi’u nodi ar ymap risg a pherygl diweddaraf o Bant-teg, a luniwyd gan arbenigwyr daearegol yr awdurdod, Earth Science Partnership (ESP), fel “risg uchel” a “risg uchel iawn” o ddioddefdifrod tirlithriad.

Mae 14 cartref wedi cael eu harchwiliohyd yn hyn – pump ohonynt yn y parth risg uchel a naw ohonynt yn y parth risg uchel iawn. Mae’r awdurdod yn gofyn i’r preswylwyr barhau i weithio gyda nhw er mwyn cwblhau’r rhaglen cyn gynted â phosib.

Mae’r archwiliadau’n cynnwys archwiliad gweledol o du mewn a thu allan yr eiddo yn unol â’r System Mesur Iechyd a Diogelwch Tai (HHSRS). I ddechrau, bydd y cyngor yn canolbwyntio ar archwilio cartrefi yn y parth risg uchel iawn.

Cynhaliwyd cyfarfod arall gyda pherchnogion y tai ar Heol Cyfyng a dderbynioddOrchmynion Gwahardd Brys.

Ym mis Awst 2017, ar ôl i ESP rybuddio bod cyfres o dirlithriadau ym Mhant-teg yn beryg i fywyd pobl yn Heol Cyfyng, y cyflwynodd y cyngor Orchmynion Gwahardd Brys i’r preswylwyr gan eu gorfodi i adael eu heiddo am resymau diogelwch.

Gadawodd y rhan fwyaf o’r bobl â thai preifat, llawer ohonynt gyda chymorth y cyngor, ond gwnaeth pedwar person o dri eiddo apelio yn erbyn gorchymynyDribiwnlys annibynnol Eiddo Preswyl Cymru (RPT).

Gwrthododd RPT Cymru’r apeliadau – dyfarnwyd bod y cyngor wedi profi bod risg go iawn i’r preswylwyr o dirlithriadau a hefyd cytunwyd ag arbenigwyr y cyngor nad oedd y cartrefi ar Heol Cyfyng a wnaeth apelio, wedi’u hadeiladu ar graig gadarn.

Fis diwethaf gwrthododd RPT Cymru ddwy apêl funud olaf yn erbyn ei ddyfarniad dros weithred y cyngor ac felly daeth yr broses apêl i ben.

Deëllir bod tri pherson yn parhau i fyw yn y cartrefi sydd dan fygythiad tirlithriad ar Heol Cyfyng, yn groes i’r Gorchmynion Gwahardd Brys.

Meddai Arweinydd Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot, y Cyng. Rob Jones, “Gan fod y broses apelio wedi dod i ben, rydym am weithio gyda pherchenogion a phreswylwyr y cartrefi ym Mhant-teg er mwyn sicrhau’r canlyniad gorau a mwyaf diogel.

“Mae ein swyddogion yn cyflwyno deunydd ymchwiliad trwyadl ESP o’r broblem tirlithro ym Mhant-teg i breswylwyr er mwyn eu helpu nhw gyda’u hawliadau yswiriant.

“Rydym yn ddiolchgar i’r gymuned am ei chydweithrediad yn ystod y rhaglen archwiliotai ac rydym yn gobeithio y bydd hwn yn parhau. Ein nod yw parhau i siarad â phreswylwyr er mwyn cytuno ar y ffordd orau ymlaen.”

Mae ESP yn parhau â’i archwiliad manwl o amodau’r ddaear ym Mhant-teg gan gynnal arolygon LiDAR newydd (sy’n defnyddio sganwyr wedi’u gosod ar ddronau) ac archwiliad i fesur sefydlogrwydd y llethr. Dechreuodd y cam hwn o’r gwaith ar ôl cyfres o dirlithriadau yn 2017 er bod yr ardal wedi dioddef symudiadau tir ers o leiaf 1897.