3. Will the Minister make a statement on the preservation of industrial heritage in Caerphilly? OAQ54541

Thank you very much. Caerphilly has a very significant industrial heritage—indeed, a very significant built heritage generally. And, for me, the industrial structures and sites—over 40 of them—in the authority that have been designated as listed buildings and scheduled monuments indicates that the industrial past represent for us a way to understand where we have come from as a people. And we must pay them, I would say, even more respect than the great castle of Caerphilly itself.

I absolutely agree with that. It's not just about the castle in Caerphilly; it's also about some other sites as well. And we welcome the £900,000 of funding for the Penallta park, which the Deputy Minister sitting next to you has signed off, and we're grateful for that. But opposite that is Penallta colliery, and the winding wheel and the pit baths there are a historic remembrance of that past, but also becoming something of an eyesore, around the pit baths and around the winding wheel. It's not included in support packages, and the reason for that is that they are privately owned. And what I would think would be a very helpful idea is if the Valleys taskforce could bring together Welsh Government, the local authority and the owners of the winding wheel and pit baths to discuss the future of those sites of historic interest. It's a difficult challenge, but I'd be more than happy to meet with the Deputy Minister, and his colleagues if necessary, to discuss what more we can do there. Would you commit to working across portfolio to achieve that, and possibly even having a meeting in Penallta to discuss?

Well, you will know, Hefin, that there is already permission in place for residential use on that site. And also my understanding is that Caerphilly County Borough Council and the private developer are in continuing discussions about the future of the site. However, the relevant Minister, sitting next to me, has heard what’s just been said. The Valleys regional park includes Parc Penallta as a discovery gateway, and these designations, whether in areas of industrial heritage or of landscape heritage, must be regarded as more than a mere designation; they have to have clear policy driving them forward in terms of their own conservation. I’m confident that £900,000, which you gratefully welcomed for the new visitor centre and the programme of community-focused activities on that site, will lead to that happening.

Deputy Minister, areas like Caerphilly, as you say, are immensely rich in their industrial heritage, and I think, all over those industrial parts of Wales, industrial heritage is often in the hands of local groups, and obviously local councils. I noticed recently Aber Valley Heritage Group and what they’ve done in the past to raise awareness of the Senghenydd disaster and keep that memory alive through local displays and such. But displays, records, photographs, education materials, memorials, public art, walking trails are all vital in retaining our memory as a living thing of our past. And I do hope that you’re working with the councils to ensure that these groups of people coming together have that level of expertise, perhaps, in the maintenance of websites and the like, but also signage, public art—these things are open to local initiative, because, really, they do produce some outstanding examples of how to take care of our heritage.

Thank you very much for that, David. I have spent some time visiting, in particular, the local museums, and what I'm encouraging societies and voluntary groups that are concerned about either the built heritage or any other aspect of the environment or of our industrial memory to do is to work closely with our local museums and also with the national museum itself, because clearly there’s an expertise there that can always be made available to assist local societies in their conservation activities. But if you have any particular examples in your region, which I know is full of this form of heritage, I'd be very grateful if you could draw it to our attention, if you feel that there is a failure to deliver here in support of local voluntary initiatives.