Tree-felling, noise and diversions: Locals divided over controversial Heads of the Valleys roadworks

Twelve months ago, the traffic cones arrived and the heavy machinery pitched up on the Heads of the Valleys road between Dowlais and Hirwaun. The ten-mile stretch is the final section to be turned into a dual carriageway.

When work is completed, the entire A465 between Llandarcy and Bromyard will be two lanes on both sides of the road. The Welsh Government says it will deliver a long-term commitment to improve traffic flow, reduce journey times and enhance road safety.

The first task for the contractors carrying out the work in early 2021 was to fell the trees lining the route that snakes its way through the north of Merthyr Tydfil and the top of the Cynon Valley. Local people believe that thousands of trees have been cut down to allow work to take place.

It has not gone down well with many. Some have told me they feel it will lead to an "environmental catastrophe". Others have said they are "disgusted" by the scale of tree-felling at a time when the Welsh Government wants all of us to help plant 86 million trees in the next nine years.

The Welsh Government says it has considered the impact on the environment, and has relocated species of wildlife that may have had their habitats disturbed by this construction phase. Some tree-planting organisations, however, are not satisfied. Stump Up For Trees say that any woodland planted to mitigate the trees lost will not be of benefit to local ecology for a century or more.

The Welsh Government acknowledges that the last episode of the dualling scheme will be a "challenging project", and some residents living along the route say they can bear testimony to that.

Gwynne Thomas lives at the end of the section in Hirwaun. He says he has been given a compulsory purchase order for part of his garden, and served an eviction notice to vacate his house by the end of next month. He worries that he will not find a comparable property for the money he has been offered, and the stress is affecting his mental health.

Lisa Rossiter and her family have left their relatives in Hirwaun behind to begin a new life in Pembrokeshire. The road will end up metres from her old house, and she says they had to leave for health reasons. She agrees with the Welsh Government's plan to improve resilience and road safety. She lost an aunt in an accident on the Heads of the Valleys - a road notorious for fatal collisions because of its original three-lane highway design. But she feels that there could have been better engagement with residents.

The Welsh Government says the dualling scheme has provided new employment, skills and development opportunities for local people. It also says it will maximise the use of local small and medium-sized businesses.

But speak to local people and businesses near the roadworks and there is a lot of criticism.

Motorists are opposed to the diversions that they are having to take in order to complete their journeys, and feel that temporary routes are often badly set up or unsafe. Others say they dislike the noise and visual impact of construction. Many businesses suffering a loss of trade say they do not think they will be properly compensated. And those who have had to give up land to make way for the road do not believe that they will get what they feel they are owed either.

The Heads of the Valleys dualling project has always been a controversial scheme, costing billions of pounds. This last section alone is forecast to carry a £590 million pound price tag. But the expectation is that it will be finished in 2025, a whole two decades after dualling first began. There are at least three years to go though, and plenty of debate to be had before then.