THE Welsh Government has paid out £45.6 million in compensation to people whose land has been affected by roadworks on the A465 Heads of the Valleys road.

Major construction to improve the A465, which runs from Herefordshire to Neath, have been ongoing for nearly 20 years, and in that time the government has paid out dozens of compensation claims to people, either for loss of land or because its value has depreciated.

Some of the compensation claims involve staggering sums: one claimant along the Sections 5 and 6 stretch of the road (Dowlais Top to Hirwaun) was awarded £10.7 million.

At the other end of the scale, one claimant along the Section 4 stretch (Tredegar to Dowlais Top) was successful in winning £2.38 in compensation.

The figures were published by the Welsh Government in response to a Freedom of Information request, which asked how much money had been paid out via the Land Compensation Act 1973 in relation to the A465 works.

The Land Compensation Act allows people to make a claim if some public works - such as the alteration of existing roads or airport runways - affect the land they own.

They can claim if they believe the works have depreciated the value of their land property, and the Act can also be used to compensate people who lose their homes as a result of construction work.

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In the case of the A465, at least 91 claims have been successful since the first were made in 2000.

Upgrades to Section 1 of the road, which runs from Abergavenny to Gilwern, lasted from 2005 to 2008, but the figures show compensation was still being paid out last year (£4,186 in 2020).

In total, the sums paid out to successful claimants along Section 1 total £7.4 million between 2004 and 2020. The largest payout was for £1.4 million, and the smallest for just £4. The total number of successful claims for this stretch of the A465 is unknown.

Along Section 2, between Gilwern and Brynmawr, upgrade work began in late 2014 and is still ongoing, having been affected by construction difficulties in the Clydach Gorge area. Figures show 40 claimants have so far been successful along this stretch of road.

The sums paid out along Section 2 total more than £4.5 million, with the largest payout being for £1.9 million - in the year 2015 - and the smallest being for £770.

Along Section 3, from Brynmawr to Tredegar, upgrade work ran between 2013 and 2015, but payouts have been awarded via the Land Compensation Act 1973 for the best part of 20 years, including in every year since 2011.

More than £4.4 million has been awarded in total, to 38 claimants. The largest successful claim was for £691,000 and the smallest for £1,485.

Work is also complete on the Section 4 stretch of the road, which was carried out between 2002 and 2004. Compensation totalling more than £14,8 million has been awarded to an unknown number of claimants along that stretch, between 2002 and 2020. The largest award was for £1.7 million, and the smallest was the aforementioned £2.38.

Finally, Sections 5 and 6 are expected to be the last stages to be completed, in the next few years, and while upgrade work there is still relatively new, compensation worth more than £14.3 million has been paid out so far, to some 13 claimants. Those successful claims have varied in size from £10.7 million to £3,220.

Commenting on the figures, a Welsh Government spokesman told the Argus: "Compensation to individuals and businesses affected by road schemes is paid in line with statutory procedures and is usually based on the advice of professionals representing the parties involved."