REVIT Heritage Report.pdf

Torfaen County Borough Council
REVIT: A Review of the Conservation of Industrial Heritage Assets on Brownfield Sites
these areas. In this respect, industrial features like old unused tramroads,
railway lines and canal tow paths, can be used to provide the basis for cycle or
foot paths.
4.2.41 In a similar approach at Blaenavon, the renovated St. Peter’s school building,
which will form the interpretation centre for the industrial heritage of the area,
will be linked by modern technology to other significant World Heritage sites
around the World. As well as offering an educational experience, the centre
could also, therefore, be used to provide links to, and promote, other tourist
attractions in Wales which may interest visitors; this would form part of the
integrated approach taken in the Rhur.
4.2.42 Because of the location of Blaenavon close to the Brecon Beacons National
Park, the site has enormous potential benefit of being able to draw on the
Parks’ visitors. The mountainous open spaces of the historic landscape have
a potential appeal for a range of activities such as walking, mountain biking,
pony trekking, climbing, hang gliding, ballooning. By encouraging outdoor
pursuits within the WHS this could provide another form of sustainable tourism
which requires little alteration of the landscape, but exploits its rugged
character. Encouraging annual competitions which make use of the benefits of
the landscape in a non-destructive and sustainable manner through may be
one way of raising awareness of the area and attract visitors who would not
otherwise visit the area or be unaware of the landscape as a resource.
4.2.43 The area could also be linked-up with further attractions to visitors such as
canal boat holidaymakers, on the nearby Brecknock and Abergavenny Canal,
the cyclists on the Taff trial, visitors to the narrow gauge Brecon Mountain
Railway and walkers in the Clydach Gorge and around the Blorenge. By
further opening up new pathways and encouraging links to existing tourist
routes, such as the Taff Trail cycle path, this could be further exploited. Rights
of way officers have a significant part to play in this respect.
Conclusions
4.2.44 Blaenavon Partnership has succeeded in stemming half a century of decline
and the value of the economic regeneration can be seen in a number of
indicators such as jobs created, jobs safe guarded, increases in property
values, properties saved from dereliction and visitor numbers. However, the
other benefits, like protection of the cultural heritage and improvement in the
quality of life, may be less tangible and less easy to measure as indicators, but
are equally important such as community pride.
4.2.45 The British Ironworks site has been redundant and under-used for many
decades and as a result has become a focus for fly-tipping and other antisocial
behaviour. However, local interest in, and knowledge of, the site
remains strong, especially in relation to its use as a former coal mine. In terms
of improving the local environment and attracting economic benefits to a
disadvantaged area, the site must be seen as having great regeneration
potential especially for new development. However, the potential re-use of the
site must be seen in terms of the current environmental constraints such as the
cultural heritage, ecological factors, landscape elements and possible
contaminants although these are likely to be less extensive than at Blaenavon.
Further studies would, therefore, be necessary in order to examine the costs
and benefits of the site regeneration.
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