A senior Powys councillor has agreed that a river wall in Ystradgynlais will be repaired, but has decided not to replace the structure.

The council has also agreed that it owns the wall.

Last month, the Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Recycling (HTR), Cllr Jackie Charlton (Liberal Democrat), was presented with four options to choose the “most appropriate” way forward that would “best meet” the council’s legal obligations regarding the Llys Tawel river wall in the town.

The proposed options put forward for the project ranged in cost from £382,000 to £1 million.

The wall runs along the rear of four homes on Llys Tawel, on the west bank of the River Tawe as it passes through this part of Ystradgynlais. Part of the structure partially collapsed around 18 months ago.

The river wall is approximately 100 metres in length, but 30 metres of it gave way on February 1, 2024.

According to the report, the remaining structure shows visible signs of “scour” – this means that its foundations could be affected by soil erosion.

The delegated decision by Cllr Charlton on this issue was taken on August 15, before it came into force on September 1.

The minutes published by the council on the decision said: “That the wall be formally recognised as a corporate asset, with future inspections and maintenance funded through corporate resource.

 “That funding be drawn from the highways capital programme to support the repair of the preferred option; option three blockstone and embankment.”

This preferred option according to council chiefs is: “a tried and tested form of erosion control offering bank protection but would not be reinstated to the original wall level.”

This work will cost the council £850,000.

Option four, which was supported by residents, was for a direct replacement of the retaining wall, providing riverbank protection, which would cost £1 million.

Local Powys councillor Susan McNicholas, who represents the ward of Ynyscedwyn, (Labour) said:  “It has taken a long time to get to the stage we are now at.”

“The residents will rest a lot more easily once the work has been completed,” she said.

The wall was originally built by Brecknockshire County Council in 1912.

Following the last local government reorganisation in Wales during 1995/1996, the ownership of the wall fell to Powys County Council as a successor local authority.

But the council’s highways service refused to take responsibility for the wall and believed that either Welsh Government environment body National Resources Wales (NRW), as the lead authority for main rivers, or the riverbank landowner was responsible for it.

After the wall’s partial collapse last year, the residents of Llys Tawel engaged lawyers that argued the council - as owner of the wall - is responsible for it, and have a duty of care to: “take reasonable steps to prevent natural occurrences on its land from causing damage to neighbouring properties.”

After taking their own legal advice, Powys County Council “concluded” that it owns the wall.