Tredegar Townscape Heritage Initiative

Draft Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

DRAFT (diagrams to be redrawn) TREDEGAR CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL &MANAGEMENT PLAN

Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council

Prepared by: www.heritageregeneration.co.ukApril 2013

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

TREDEGAR CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISAL & MANAGEMENT PLAN

CONTENTS:

Summary of the Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

1.0 Background 1.1 Current status of Tredegar Conservation Area 1.2 Statutory Background 1.3 Planning Policy Framework 1.4 The purpose of the Appraisal & Management Plan

2.0 Location and Setting 2.1 Location and Context 2.2 Landscape Setting

3.0 Historic Development 3.1 Origins and Historic Development of the Settlement 3.2 Archaeological Significance

4.0 Character and Appearance 4.1 Identification of Character Areas 4.2 Castle Street – The Circle – Morgan Street Character Area 4.3 Queen Victoria Street - Harcourt Terrace Character Area 4.4 Market Street - Salisbury Street Character Area 4.5 Bridge Street Character Area 4.6 Key heritage and townscape qualities

5.0 Conservation management issues 5.1 General conditions, including SWOT analysis 5.2 Positive issues and assets 5.3 Negative issues and problems

6.0 Policy guidance and design principles 6.1 CA development policy and design guidance 6.2 Policies for reuse and enhancement of existing buildings 6.3 Policies for new development 6.4 Management framework for the public realm 6.5 Design guidance for key sites – action projects

7.0 Management Plan recommendations 7.1 A Strategy for Action 7.2 Conservation measures 7.2.1 Reassessment of the Conservation Area boundary 7.2.2 Local listing 7.2.3 Urban design guidance 7.2.4 Sustainability 7.3 Planning Control measures 7.3.1Enforcement strategy 7.3.2 Article 4 Directions and Permitted Development 7.3.3 Mechanisms for monitoring change 7.4 Community involvement 7.4.1 Community consultation and engagement 7.4.2 Education and training 7.4.3 Equalities impact assessment 7.5 Implementation programme 7.5.1 Resources for implementation in the Conservation Area 7.5.2 Action Plan

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Summary of the special interest of the Conservation Area

The aim of this Appraisal and Management Plan is to assist Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council to protect and enhance the built heritage of the Conservation Area – the historic town centre area of Tredegar, while enabling the public to recognise both the benefits of living and working in a Conservation Area and their own responsibilities for its future protection.

The town centre Conservation Area is located just north of the Bedwellty Park Conservation Area. It is notable both as one of the first planned towns, and for its place at the foundation of the National Health Service emanating from the Tredegar Medical Aid Society and the link with Tredegar-born politician Aneurin Bevan. This Appraisal and Management Plan is proposing adjustments to the boundary by including both sides of Queen Victoria Street and Harcourt Terrace in the west, and a reduction of the area up to Iron Row in the east.

The built character of Tredegar Conservation Area reflects the history of its development. Before 1800 and the growth of industries there were only a few farms, the following early growth of Tredegar was haphazard, but planned urban development began in the 1820’s, ahead of all other UK industrial towns, and the layout seen today was created. The dramatic growth of the town in the first half of the C19th resulted in the town centre being fully built up before the first OS map of 1884. This rapid growth of the commercial centre, residential terraces, small scale industries and notable civic and religious buildings led to a coherent quality of environment

Distinctive Character Areas have been identified within the proposed Conservation Area, each with a valuable heritage townscape that needs to be protected and enhanced. Some damage to these areas has occurred through inappropriate repairs and replacement materials on heritage buildings, and insensitive new developments. Although these unfortunate changes have had a detrimental impact on some of the townscapes, there are still significant and important areas of heritage quality that are worthy of protection and repair to enhance the traditional character.

Management and enhancement proposals have been prepared to include: policy guidance and design principles; management and control recommendations including the review of the Conservation Area boundary; Local Listing, design guidance, recommendations for a potential Article 4 Direction for the Conservation Area; and the involvement of the community.

Castle Street Congregational Church, the terrace on Duke Street and views of the surrounding hills

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

1.1 Background

1.0 Current status of Tredegar Conservation Area

The Tredegar town Conservation Area was designated by Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council in March 2009. Figure 1.1 identifies the current boundary, the proposed boundary changes (described in section 7.2.1) and highlights the listed buildings within the area.

Figure 1.1 Current and Proposed Conservation Area Boundary & Location of Listed Buildings

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

1.2 Statutory background

Conservation Areas were introduced by the Civic Amenities Act 1967 and are defined as “areas of special architectural or historic interest the character and appearance of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance”. Conservation Area designation is more dependent on the overall quality and interest of an area, rather than individual buildings, although it is common for such areas to contain a number of Listed Buildings.

Designation as a Conservation Area has a number of implications. Most importantly, it is required to give special attention to preserving and enhancing the Conservation Area in exercising its planning functions. Also, planning consent must be gained for certain types of development which are elsewhere classified as permitted development, such as various types of cladding, dormer windows, satellite dishes and radio masts/antennae. Consent is required for the demolition of buildings within Conservation Areas. Designation also brings controls over works to trees.

The protection of an area does not end with conservation area designation. Welsh Office Circular 61/96 Planning and the Historic Environment urges Local Authorities to prepare detailed assessments of the special interest, character and appearance of their conservation areas. A character appraisal defines and analyses the special qualities and the architectural and historic interest that warranted the designation.

Circular 61/96 emphasises that the more the special architectural or historic interest is defined, the sounder will be the basis for local plan policies and development control decisions, as well as for the formulation of proposals for the preservation and enhancement of the character or appearance of Conservation Areas. Character appraisals should therefore provide a framework against which development proposals can be assessed for their appropriateness in the historic environment.

Local Authorities are under a duty from time to time to “formulate and publish proposals for the preservation and enhancement of any parts of their area which are conservation areas” (Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas (LBCA)) Act 1990, s.71).

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

1.3 Planning policy framework

The Tredegar Regeneration Study (2000) identified that Tredegar demonstrated all the characteristics of a South East Wales Valleys town suffering from long term economic decline, lack of investment and associated physical, environmental and social deterioration.

Tredegar lies in the Heads of the Valleys Programme Area, as defined in the Wales Spatial Plan. The aims are to create an area, which is economically competitive and socially diverse, with strong, vibrant and well maintained town centres, linked by good quality public transport. .

The Tredegar town Conservation Area lies within the coverage of the Blaenau Gwent Local Development Plan policies, adopted 2012. These provide the approved basis for development control. The LDP has strong conservation / heritage policies, which seek to conserve and enhance the built environment especially in Conservation Areas and in relation to listed buildings.

The built environment conservation policies in the Local Plan are based on current government planning guidance and Welsh Office Circular 60/96 “Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology” and Circular 61/96 “Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas”.

SP11 of the LDP covers issues of the area’s built heritage and states that:

‘Blaenau Gwent’s distinctive built environment will be protected, preserved and, where appropriate, enhanced.

This will be achieved through:

a. Safeguarding nationally designated sites from inappropriate development and also protecting locally designated buildings of significant importance and Conservation Areas;

b. Enhancing sites of historic or archaeological value; and

c. The promotion of heritage tourism.

The Local Development Plan considers the historic built environment as a valuable resource that should primarily be protected for its own sake in line with national planning policy, but can be harnessed in a sustainable manner.’

The LDP specifically states that:

‘the Conservation Area in Tredegar provides the opportunity to encourage and promote the conservation of architectural heritage in the designated area.’

1.4 The Purpose of the Appraisal and Management Plan

This Appraisal and Management Plan has been prepared in response to the guidance outlined above and, as such, discharges the County Borough Council’s obligations and duties under the Planning (LBCA) Act 1990, as well as complying with Cadw’s recommendations. The Appraisal forms the basis for the Conservation Area Management Plan and the review of the Conservation Area boundary.

This document may subsequently form Supplementary Planning Guidance to the Local Development Plan and will be a material consideration when considering applications for development within the Conservation Area.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

2.0 Location and Setting

2.1 Location and context

Tredegar is situated at the head of the Sirhowy Valley, within the Borough of Blaenau Gwent, approximately 35 miles north of Cardiff, 18 miles north of Newport and two miles from the Heads of the Valleys Road. The town centre of Tredegar is sited on the west side of the Sirhowy Valley with the western edge of the town sprawling up the steep valley side. The town centre Conservation Area is located just to the north of the Bedwellty Park Conservation Area.

The town is situated in an area which was once intensely mined and provided the basis of a successful iron making industry during the 19th and early 20th century. In recent years the town has suffered out- migration due to the decline of heavy industry which once supported the area and suffered economic recession, which has resulted in the area having an higher than average level of unemployment.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

2.2 Landscape setting

Tredegar’s landscape has been heavily influenced through its past relationship with heavy industry. Tredegar lies on a mineral rich landscape above many once-intensely mined coal seams. The land upon which Tredegar lies is mixed in gradient, and was formed in this way due to its past relationship with the iron industry. The town centre is located on the west side of the valley. The western reaches of the town spread up the valley sides, thus forming very steep sloping roads and housing perched on the valley side. Heavy industry did leave its scars on the landscape with large areas of coal waste and iron tippings but these have now been reclaimed to provide land for recreation, pasture and forest.

Tredegar is intrinsically linked to its surroundings. Being at the head of a beautiful and impressive valley, Tredegar has dramatic panoramas from many of the areas within the town centre. Views across the floor of the valley and up to the valley bluffs are visible from the Town Clock through Iron Street, as well as between gaps in buildings along many of the streets.

The Town Clock itself is an impressive landmark, visible from nearly every elevated point, with the spire of the clock rising above many of the surrounding buildings. The Town Clock is also visible at lower levels from the four main streets of the town (Castle Street, Iron Street, Morgan Street and Market Street) leading to this one point.

The town of Tredegar sits on a rising site, extending predominantly parallel (on a north-south axis) to the Sirhowy River and valley below. The neighbouring settlement of Georgetown is located on the eastern side of the valley.

As one of the first “planned” towns in the UK, the original town centre in Tredegar was built on the valley slope with a distinctive “grid-like” pattern of streets (extending along a north-south axis along Castle Street/Morgan Street, and east-west axis along Market Street/Iron Street), and following the natural contours of the slope.

This characteristic street pattern, together with the town centre’s elevated location, enables good views along streetscapes within the town centre out to its wider landscape setting, and from its wider landscape into the town centre’s distinct skyline – which is dominated by features such as the Town Clock, larger scale civic buildings including chapels, and the Town Hall.

Historic landmarks such as the Town Clock and the former Town Hall enhance the legibility of the town centre and reinforce its distinctive sense of place. New development should not obstruct important views of such features as seen along streetscapes.

Landscape setting of Tredegar, viewed from the western valley slopes showing the view over the town centre with the Town Clock and the Tredegar Arms seen above the rooftops, the line of trees marking the route of the River Sirhowy, and Georgetown on the slope of the hills beyond,

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

3. Historic development

3.1 Origins and historic development of the settlement

The origins of the town have influenced how it has developed, its layout and the important buildings.

Though there has been evidence of iron making since Roman times, even in the C18th, the upper reaches of the Sirhowy Valley were mainly pastoral land inhabited by small dispersed thatched farms and cottages. With increasing demand for iron during the C18th wars in France and America, the first Sirhowy ironworks was established in 1778 before the Tredegar Ironworks was constructed in 1800. In 1802 the first two of the Tredegar furnaces were completed and put into blast.

It is believed that construction started on dwellings within Tredegar near to the time of opening of the Ironworks in 1800. Initial buildings were not planned, although later development was built along predetermined lines. A block of houses was built along the tram road, at the bottom end of what was to become Morgan Street, and an isolated terrace of houses, River Row, on the opposite side of the river to the old Pont Sirhowy. The Company Shop was formed in a house near the river, and the Castle Inn, Miners Arms and Tredegar Arms erected. The first new chapel, Capel Siloh, was built with communal graveyard in 1806 in Bridge Lane.

The Sirhowy tram road was constructed in 1805, to link the two ironworks with the port at Newport. This was 23 miles in length and at that time the longest tram road in Britain. In 1806, two more balance furnace were added to the Tredegar works, making it the biggest Ironworks in the area, larger than the Sirhowy plant.

During the second decade of the 19th Century with the rapid growth of the new town, changes occurred and a more systematic development was introduced by Samuel Homfray Senior, owner of the Tredegar Iron works. This altered both the appearance of the town and established the formal, axial layout that still exists today.

Since the introduction of this formal layout, the C19th development of Tredegar grew fast. The population of Tredegar Ironworks area was 9,766 in 1862; 18,497 in 1905; it peaked at 26,830 in 1924; and dropped to 21,140 in 1941.

• In 1818, Bedwellty House, Saron Chapel and Queen Square were constructed. This was followed in1825 with the building of Chapel Street (later called Harcourt Terrace), Queen Street, Upper Morgan Street (later Castle Street), and Bedwellty Park was enclosed.

• Transport improvements established the importance of Tredegar in spite of its isolated location. The opening of first passenger rail service to Newport in1822 was followed in 1828 by the completion of the turnpike road to Newport and the use of the Stephenson’s steam engine on the Tredegar – Newport tram road.

• Civic improvements included the construction of the Town Hall in 1833, its refurbishment to include a school in 1837, and then its rebuilding on The Circle in 1892. Bedwellty Park was opened for the public in 1901 and Tredegar Cottage Hospital and Cottage Homes were built in 1904.

Historic Maps

Figure 3.1 Map 1813 shows Tredegar in its early stages of development. The rudimentary grid of three parallel streets immediately out of the iron works and a curving new road west of the town were already in place. Morgan Street had not been constructed, neither had any northern connection between these streets and the road north of the Sirhowy Ironworks. The line of the tram roads to Trefil and Newport had opened in 1805. As the town grew, the scattered development includes buildings on Bridge Street, Iron Row and Iron Street. The Tredegar Arms 1802, the Castle Inn 1805 and the Company Shop 1811 can be seen on the map, along with Market House.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

The inclusion of a curved road west of the town was provided as part of a scheme to leave space for a private park away from the smoke and contamination of the ironworks. A large area of undeveloped land between the western road and the Sirhowy Tram road was set aside for a house for the Ironworks manager.

Figure 3.1 Map 1813 Figure 3.2 Map 1826

By 1826, Figure 3.2 Map, significant changes had occurred. The planned town with Bedwellty House and its park is evident. Bedwellty House was built in 1818 and the park was integrated into the town layout by continuing Morgan Street, the main axis of the town as a driveway though the park up to the front of the House. The construction of a broad new road (Morgan Street) and a circular market place (The Circle), provided the basis for a very formal layout – a circular area bisected along both axes, the main axes being Morgan Street and the minor axes being Iron Street and Market Street.

Capel Saron, built 1818, faces down from the top of Market Street, with the front façade of the chapel at right angles to form a stop-end to the vista just as the entrance to Bedwellty House formed a stop end at the lower end of the Morgan Street cross axis. Further north along this western road, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Queen’s Square were added.

Some sources believe that the central area of Tredegar known as ‘The Circle’ actually started as a square. However, other evidence suggests that this was planned as a circle from a very early stage, for example, the façade of the three original Inn buildings follow the curve of the circle.

Figure 3.3, the First Ordnance Survey of 1884, shows the Conservation Area as a fully developed town centre. Even today in 2013,this street pattern of central Tredegar is almost identical to the first layout in the 1820s. The heavy industrial areas and their rail links are sited to the east of Iron Row along the floor of the Sirhowy valley.

The OS map shows the importance of Morgan Street – before the upper length was renamed Castle Street, and its relationship with Bedwellty Park and the expanding northern areas of Tredegar around Commercial Street. The west side of Queen Victoria Street/Harcourt Terrace is fully developed and the Castle Street Congregational Church is sited at the head of Morgan Street where it joined the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Commercial Street.

An intrinsic part of the history of Tredegar has been its role in the development of the foundations of the National Health Service:

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Figure 3.3 Ordnance Survey map 1884

Tredegar and the Foundation of the National Health Service

Britain’s National Health Service began in 1948 and was introduced by Aneurin Bevan, a Tredegar Politician and MP for the Ebbw Vale Constituency who was Minster for Health and Housing from 1945. Aneurin introduced the National Health Service based upon the model of the Tredegar Workmen’s Medical Aid Society, which started in the 1890’s. During the late C19th and early C20th nearly all of the town’s residents were covered by the Medical Aid Society scheme through subscriptions from their wages which entitled members and their dependents to comprehensive, medical, surgical and dental services, according to need and free at the point of care.

The administration centre for Tredegar’s Medical Aid Society was within the offices for the Tredegar Iron and Coal Co mutual society (1890) formed by miners and ironworkers at No .10, The Circle. The society had grown out of the Health and Education fund first formed in Tredegar in 1871 by management of the Tredegar Iron and Coal companies. It was introduced to combat diseases such as typhoid, tuberculosis and cholera. Workers contributed 3d in the pound of their wages to receive medical care for themselves and families.

This early model formed by the Tredegar Medical Aid Society was intrinsic in providing the foundation for the National Health Service system which was introduced by Aneurin Bevan. From the basic beginnings of this society an idea was formed which led to the creation of one of the great British institutions.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

The society was instrumental in providing a hospital within Tredegar (built in 1904), today known as Tredegar General Hospital with land for the new hospital donated by Lord Tredegar. Funding came directly from the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company, other local employers and organisations, individual donations but mainly from coal workers who agreed to maintain the hospitals by having a halfpenny deducted from their wages. Bevan was a member of the Cottage Hospital Management committee around 1928 and chairman in 1929/30.

The Society continued in a modified fashion after the introduction of the NHS, which took over many of the services provided by the Medical Aid Society, until it was wound up in 1995.

The corner site of Tredegar Medical Aid Society at no.10 The Circle

Tredegar Today

The individual and impressive street layout of Tredegar remains today, as do intangible historical links to the Medical Aid society, for example the still operational General Hospital. Located around Tredegar are pieces of evidence which plot the history of the town, in terms of both its industrial past and its link to the foundation of the NHS. This evidence is told today to visitors and residents of Tredegar through the Tredegar Heritage Walk and Aneurin Bevan Heritage Trail which circle the town, highlighting key places of interest and giving life to Tredegar’s interesting and eventful past.

However, what once was a bustling, smoky, heavy industrial town is now a much quieter place to live. With the decline of the heavy industry came massive unemployment. Today, Tredegar is attempting to rebuild its economy based around small light industries, retail, service jobs and tourism, whilst attempting to retain its important linkages to its industrial past and preserve its areas of special interest.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

View up Morgan Street towards the Town Clock

View down Castle Street towards the Town Clock

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

3.2 Archaeological significance

The occupation of the upper Sirhowy valley can be traced back to iron making during the Roman times, though the history of Tredegar does not really begin until the end of the 18thcentury. The settlement in the new town area of Tredegar did not start until the first construction of the iron foundries in 1800.

Though the street layout has remained, there are few examples of the earliest buildings. The derelict Company Shop on Shop Row provides one of the earliest examples of buildings of architectural and social significance – see photo below. Within the Conservation Area there are five Listed buildings, but there may be further hidden industrial and social archaeology within the Conservation Area slopes.

Blaenau Gwent CBC is required to take archaeology into consideration as a material consideration when determining a planning application. Information on all known archaeological sites and finds in and around the Tredegar CA is included in the County Sites and Monuments Record (SMR).

Planning Policy Wales 2002 identifies the key issues and policies related to Archaeology in Section 6. Conserving the Historic Environment and particularly 6.5 Development Control and the Historic Environment. These policies refer to Welsh Office Circular 60/91 Planning and the Historic Environment: Archaeology; and Circular 61/91 Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas.

The key considerations are that appropriate management is essential to ensure that the assets survive in good condition and where nationally important archaeological remains, whether scheduled or not, and their settings, are affected by proposed development there should be a presumption in favour of their physical preservation. However there may also be hidden archaeological potential which could assist the understanding of the early urbanisation and development of this area.

Where a proposed development is likely to disturb the ground within the Conservation Area and could affect archaeology, Blaenau Gwent CBC will require further information before determining a planning application. This may be required in the form of a desk based study or an archaeological evaluation. In order to protect the archaeological remains it is sometimes necessary to modify proposals or carry out an excavation before development takes place.

Company Shop, Shop Row Listed Grade II – one of the earliest remaining buildings in Tredegar.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

4.0 Character and Appearance

4.1 Identification of Character Areas

This appraisal of the Conservation Area identifies distinctive Character Areas, based on the periods of development, the density and design of the properties, and the location and use of the area. These Character Areas are indicated in figure 4.1 and described in more detail below:

Figure 4.1 Proposed Conservation Area Boundary and Character Areas

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

As most buildings within the Conservation Area were built within a fifty year period, they display a consistency of form, materials and detailing. In terms of scale and massing, building heights are predominantly limited to a maximum of two storeys with building heights along the commercial core of Castle Street/The Circle/Morgan Street predominantly three-storeys, in proportion to the wider street widths indicating their status as a primary route and commercial area. Despite examples of insensitive and inappropriate façade alternations throughout the town centre, there remains a relative consistency in the historic scale and massing of buildings and their façade designs.

The traditional historic urban grain within the town centre also creates a strong sense of enclosure along most streetscapes. Whereas insensitive block clearance and modern infill development has eroded this traditional urban grain in places, it remains relatively intact along key streets such as Castle Street, Morgan Street, Market Street and The Circle.

The historic urban grain of the town centre is predominantly narrow terraced plots, with continuous building lines of properties set directly onto the back of the pavement with little or no front gardens/boundary treatments. This creates a clear division between the public realm, and the semi-private laneways and private garden spaces to the rear of properties. Due to the predominant narrowness of the streetscapes, most properties within Tredegar do not have front garden spaces, thus most car parking is accommodated on street.

The topography of the town centre can create changes in level across streetscapes and individual plots. Most historic buildings have been designed to sit at actual ground level, with floor plates stepping down the hill where necessary, to accommodate any changes in level and following the natural gradient of the site.

Another distinctive feature is that most properties occupying prominent corner plots have some architectural or massing emphasis illustrating their important nodal location (i.e. larger scale pub buildings are often located on corner plots, such as the currently vacant unit on the junction of Market Street/Upper Salisbury Street).

The following Character Areas contain these common features and though they include overlapping characteristics, their definition provides useful descriptions:

4.2 Castle Street – The Circle – Morgan Street Character Area 1

The planned nature of Tredegar’s town centre has created a distinct hierarchy of streets, denoted by the wider street widths and dominance of three-storey properties along Castle Street, The Circle and parts of Morgan Street.

At the top of Castle Street, and separated by the Duke Street junction, is the large stone structure of the unlisted Castle Street Congregational Church. Castle Street falls quite steeply at the top of the hill requiring steps up to raised pavements to enter Barclays Bank and the next two shops. The majority of Castle Street between this point and the Circle is lined on both sides by three storey rendered Victorian terraces of shops, however the eastern side includes two short groups of two storey properties. Though there are a variety of designs and detailing, there is a consistent scale of streetscape. Sadly many buildings have lost some of their heritage detailing and few traditional shop fronts remain.

The two most notable buildings are the Castle Hotel, a wide Victorian inn, first built in 1805, that has six bays and a porch canopy over the pavement; and Aneurin Bevan House, a double fronted three storey property which is distinguished by its arched window openings with large keystones as well as its historic associations.

The Circle is a particularly important grouping of buildings which give Tredegar a definitive and imposing centre point. The predominantly three storey buildings around The Circle add to the significance of this focal space. The historic value of The Circle is linked to the pre-planned development of the industrial town centre, and the individual buildings, including the Town Clock, provide evidence of the history of Tredegar’s basis with the iron and coal industry.

The buildings follow the circular layout and form around the Town Clock creating its unique historic and townscape interest. A range of buildings around The Circle have had a mix of uses over the years, from public houses and clubs to a Town Hall, library and the administrative centre for the Tredegar Medical Aid Society, though the majority are now used as shops. The buildings are of a mixed architectural style, mostly Victorian, though some replacement and adaptation from the original structures has taken place.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

In addition to the central Town Clock (see section 4.7), the most notable building on The Circle is the Old Town Hall which was used as the NCB Club (see section 4.7) and is now empty. Damage has been caused to the historic townscape of The Circle by the clearance of the corner site with Iron Street for the construction of a library whose design and materials do not respect the heritage setting.

From the left, the Tredegar Arms, Morgan Street with the Olympia next to the Old Town Hall/NCB Building, the view up Market Street ending with the Saron Chapel, and the base of the Town Clock.

Morgan Street starts with two of the most notable unlisted buildings in the Conservation Area – the Tredegar Arms, at the junction with The Circle, and the facing Olympia building. The Tredegar Arms was first built in 1802, but was rebuilt in mid Victorian times as an imposing three storey hotel and public house. An attractive porch canopy used to encroach onto the pavement and the replacement of this historic feature would add to the balance of the design and attraction of this building. The Olympia building was originally built in the early C19th as a Market Hall. Its conversion as a cinema called the Olympia was followed by numerous other uses, but its sensitive renovation by Wetherspoons as a bar has introduced new life into this area.

The rest of Morgan Street has predominantly commercial uses – shops and offices. The buildings include a mix of traditional designs with two and three storey buildings and a variety of building heights and forms. Many were rebuilt in Victorian and Edwardian times, and the oldest original terrace of small two storey dwellings is at the southern end, facing Bedwellty Park. Next to the main gates into Bedwellty Park is the Masonic Hall building, a striking design that was constructed in 1893 and extended in 1923.

The key buildings identified provide a dominant presence within the predominantly three storey townscape of this central route. These large historic buildings add to the special interest of the Conservation Area, by enhancing the heritage streetscapes and also by providing links back to Tredegar’s industrial past.

The narrow open spaces to the rear of historic properties along Castle Street and Morgan Street were predominantly used as private garden space. However, many properties have removed the rear boundary walls to convert garden spaces with unattractive outbuildings and parking plots or to provide service delivery access. In the case of Lower Coronation Street, the demolition of the historic terrace has left behind a slim wedge of scrub wasteland, now used for informal parking.

Access from Upper Coronation Street to the rear of properties on Castle Street.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Etching showing the view from Castle Street of the Town Clock with the Town Hall on the right, the Tredegar Arms on the left and Morgan Street and the distant hills beyond.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

4.3 Queen Victoria Street - Harcourt Terrace Character Area 2

Queen Victoria Street and Harcourt Terrace (previously called Chapel Row was completed in 1812 to provide a by-pass to the town, a direct route to the iron mines and an enclosure for an area of land to include the Ironmaster’s residence - Bedwellty Park and House. Bedwellty House, the Saron Chapel and the Queen Square row of houses were all completed in 1818, and the Chapel Row houses were built in 1825 with the Bedwellty Park enclosed. The early linear development of this western side of this route - the uphill side, follows the contour and has resulted in the consistent use of terrace building forms and materials.

The Bush Inn at the southern end, provides a notable two-storey design with first floor bays, at the end of a residential terrace to turn the corner into Park Hill. The terraces of houses along the western side up to the junction with Queen Victoria Street repeat a consistent design of rendered walls and slate roofs, though some are single- and some are double-fronted. The two Listed chapels, Saron Congregational and Wesleyan Methodist, provide significant breaks and changes of scale, design and materials to enliven the streetscape – see section 4.7 for further description of these buildings.

Harcourt Terrace, with the Bush Inn at the end.

On the northern length of this route, Queen Victoria Street, and in addition to the traditional terraces it includes the oldest terrace, Queen’s Square, a short row of stone faced buildings that are set back from the road behind short front gardens. This is the site of the Old Workhouse, which opened in 1820. Later, Aneurin Bevan’s mother lived in No 2 Queen’s Square with her daughter Arianwen Norris and it was used as a base by Aneurin when visiting Tredegar during his years as MP for the constituency.

Queen’s Square, built 1818, with stone faced walls that are rarely seen on residential terraces.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

At the junction with Commercial Street, at the top of Castle Street, is an attractive terrace of mixed designs of buildings in commercial use – from Queen’s Square to the Old Red lion Inn at the corner of Mount Street. The variety of roof lines, heights and gable ends creates a pleasing streetscape frontage – one building was previously the Queen’s Cinema. This group provides an end view when looking up Castle Street.

Queen Victoria Street / Commercial Street, viewed from the top of Castle Street

The east side of Harcourt Terrace, to the south of the Market Street junction, is the red brick General Hospital. The Tredegar Medical Aid Society supported the building of the cottage hospital which opened for accident cases in 1903. In 1907 a women’s and children’s ward was opened, and in 1914 a new wing. Many alterations, extensions and improvements were carried out whilst in the control of the Medical Aid Society. The hospital now has an Emergency Department for minor cases but is mainly used for treatment of the elderly. This is an important building for the community of Tredegar, both for its links with the foundation of the NHS, and for its architectural qualities. New modern care buildings to the south successfully repeat the forms and materials.

View south along Harcourt Street showing the older traditional terraces facing the General Hospital

Behind the General Hospital and to the east of Harcourt Terrace, is a large area of parkland used intensively for outdoor sports that links through and is part of Bedwellty Park. This important open area includes lines of trees and one significant wooded area – a rare feature in the urban Conservation Area.

North of Market Street, the junctions with the traditional terraces on Islwyn Terrace and Upper Salisbury Street, and the cleared sites for new buildings – Elm Court and the gardens for the funeral offices, have broken the enclosed streetscape.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

4.4 Market Street - Salisbury Street Character Area 3

Away from this central linear thoroughfare, street widths are much narrower with predominantly two storey terrace buildings that create a Character Area that is subordinate in scale, architectural detail and the variety of materials. The secondary status of streets such as Market Street and Upper Salisbury Street provide a clear division between the commercial uses focused along the primary streets - Castle Street, The Circle and Morgan Street, to the more residential character areas nearby. This clear street hierarchy adds to the town centre’s legibility and sense of place.

The traditional streets in this Character Area were lined with two storey terrace houses built during the first half of the C19th with simple designs, rendered walls and slate roofs. Much of this traditional layout remains – see photograph below, but clearance of some sites has broken the sense of enclosure – particularly along the east side of Lower Salisbury Street and on both sides of Upper Salisbury Street where the rear of the plots on Castle Street and Morgan Street have been used for parking and some outbuildings. Market Street is a little wider and is notable for its end views of the Town Clock and the Saron Independent Chapel, has retained its continuous frontage. One group of houses built in the second half of the century has narrow front garden areas separating the houses from the pavements and uses dormer gable ends to introduce a third floor.

Where properties have been cleared, this has eroded the sense of enclosure and distinction between public and private spaces along these streetscapes. If there is any redevelopment of these sites it would be more in keeping with the traditional character of the town to re-establish the perimeter block patterns to reinforce the traditional urban grain..

View along Upper Salisbury Street showing the simple terrace houses and the narrow street width

4.5 Bridge Street Character Area 4

To the west of the town centre, along Coronation Street, Iron Row, Shop Row and Lower Coronation Street, large areas of the original urban grain have been demolished, and partially replaced by insensitively designed and inappropriately massed buildings (i.e. the Civic Centre buildings which fail to reflect the original grain) or just left as areas of open grassland, such as either side of Bridge Street and Lower Coronation Street.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

As a result there are few examples of heritage development or conservation interest in these areas. The outstanding exceptions are the now derelict Listed Company Shop, built 1811, and the Siloh Baptist Church, built 1806, on Bridge Street. These notable historic buildings provide a dominant presence within the environment and are important inclusions in the Conservation Area – see section 7.2.1, and need to be protected within their context. The boundary of the Conservation Area includes these buildings and the surrounding open space to ensure any future development respects the Conservation Area objectives and the historic urban grain.

The Company Shop was built in 1811, and is an example of the truck shops operated by industrial concerns in the late C18th and early C19th. The shop is of two and three storeys in brown stone, with roofing formerly of slate. The three storey roof is hipped and has corner pilasters in exposed stone. It was looted and ransacked in 1816 and opened as a co-operative store in 1868. The shop is probably the only surviving building of the important development of Tredegar as a pre planned town and is Listed as an extremely rare survival of a Company Shop.

View down Lower Coronation Street at the Bridge Street junction showing the grassed open spaces

4.7 Key heritage and townscape qualities

Within the town Conservation Area there are 5 Listed buildings and a number of other individual buildings of historic and architectural merit (see section 7.2.4 for recommendations on Local Listing), but it is the attractive groupings and terraces within the planned layout of the town centre that create the significant townscapes of historic architecture.

The key Listed heritage buildings and structures in Tredegar Conservation Area are:

• Company Shop, Shop Row, Grade II • Harcourt Terrace Wesleyan Methodist Chapel and Schoolroom, Grade II • Old Town Hall/NCB Building, The Circle, Grade II • Saron Congregational Chapel, Harcourt Terrace, Grade II • Town Clock, The Circle, Grade II*

Company Shop

Company Shop is located on Shop Row near the corner of Bridge Street and was registered as Grade II listing in 2001.

The company shop is believed to have been erected in 1811, and is an example of the truck shops operated by industrial concerns in the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was looted and ransacked in 1816 and opened as a co-operative store in 1868. The building is listed as an extremely rare survival of a Company Shop, and is the only remaining building from the earliest period of the planned industrial settlement of Tredegar.

The shop is of two and three storeys in brown stone, with roofing formerly of slate. The three storey roof is hipped and has corner pilasters in exposed stone and is now in a very derelict state.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Company Shop, 1811 Wesleyan Methodist Chapel

Harcourt Terrace Wesleyan Methodist Chapel (Including Schoolroom &Front Railings)

The Methodist chapel is located on the westside of Harcourt Terrace and was listed as Grade II in 1992. It was listed primarily for the special interest of the interior decoration.

The first chapel was built in 1825 as an English Wesleyan chapel for English residents arriving to work at the ironworks with a schoolroom added in 1883. The current church building dates back to the late 19th Century (possibly circa 1880) and was remodelled in the early 20th Century, The central porch to the building was removed in the 20th Century and replaced by present round-arched doors in outer bays. .

The chapel and the school room are constructed of a course Pennant rubble, with ashlar detail and a slate roof. Inside the chapel is a striking rectangular galleried interior with an early 20th Century gallery front, deeply sprayed at the front end and richly decorated with plaster festooned with vines set on a background of shields linked at the top by branches and at the middle by a strap-like band. There is an Art Noveau style communion table, and a balus traded pulpit and the organ came from a chapel in Ferndale. To the rear of the building are two stain glassed windows dating from 1904.

Old Town Hall / N.C.B Club

The NCB Club is located on ‘The Circle’ and was built in 1892 as the Town Hall to replace the earlier 19th Century Town Hall which stood on the same site. It was listed in 1999 as Grade II. for its architectural interest, being a well designed late 19th Century former Town Hall.

It is a two storey building in Gothic style, constructed of Pennant stone with Forest of Dean ashlar detail and an artificial half-hipped slate roof with a lower angled block to the left facing Morgan Street. The main block of the building is symmetrical with seven bays with the centre bay having a gothic arched doorway and a moulded ashlar arch on short red granite shafts with leaf capitals. The left block is a simple Tudor style possibly a later addition, with a concrete tiled roof and is two storey with three bays.

Former Town Hall/NCB Club 1892 Saron Congregational Chapel 1858

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Saron Congregational Chapel (Including the attached school room)

The Saron Congregational Chapel is located on the west side of Harcourt Terrace and was first built on this site in 1819 and then rebuilt in 1828. The current Chapel was built in 1858 and was listed in 1999 as Grade II as a striking classical chapel designed by a well-established latter 19th Century chapel architect with an interior of high quality.

The chapel has a stuccoed classical façade with slate roof and a three bay pedimented front which are dressed with entablature giant Ionic pilasters. The words ‘Saron Independent Chapel’, are present on the front of the church with an oval plaque below reading ‘built 1858’. The schoolroom is single storey, stuccoed with hipped roof of artificial slate.

Inside the chapel there is a three-sided gallery with long panels, applied in a grained finish, with plain iron columns and block pews facing inwards to side bays. There is an elaborate and large serpentine-front pulpit with decorative cast iron balusters. The ceiling is boarded and ribbed on a deep plaster cove with a very large centre plaster rose. In the schoolroom is a plaque of old chapel ‘Saron Independent Chapel, Built 1819. Rebuilt 1828’.

Town Clock

The Town Clock stands in the centre of The Circle and was Listed in 1962 as Grade II*.The structure is 72 feet tall and was designed to be seen from all areas of Tredegar. The clock chimes on the hour and on the half hour and was heard throughout Tredegar

The clock is made of cast iron with the foundations dug in autumn 1858 and the clock finished in 1859. Originally there were flights of iron steps facing each of the four axial streets; these were later removed in 1933. It was cast by Charles Jordan of Newport, whereas the clock itself was made by J.Joyce of Whitchurch, Shropshire.

The clock is listed as an extremely rare and remarkable cast iron Town Clock in a prominent townscape location - an important survivor of the iron industry both in constructional and social terms.

The Town Clock at the centre of The Circle, on its axes with Castle Street (beyond) / Morgan Street – north/south, and Market Street / Iron Street – east/west.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

5.0 Conservation management issues

5.1 General conditions SWOT

Tredegar Conservation Area includes the historic centre of the town, surrounding residential streets and a traditional industrial area that is now cleared with some new uses introduced. The protection and improvement of the heritage qualities of these areas are important for the future of the local economy and the means to ensure its conservation. Although the majority of these historic townscapes have been retained, there are major concerns about the strength of the local economy and the resulting loss of heritage buildings and detail.

This Management Plan needs to build on the local strengths of the characteristics of the settlement to make certain the opportunities for its future are appreciated. The current concerns and problems identified require action to ensure the potential benefits for the owners, residents and visitors to Tredegar are achieved.

The key issues affecting the management of the Conservation Area are: Strengths: • the significance and examples of the historic development of Tredegar in the industrial history of S Wales; • the importance of the centre as a focal area of the town; • the considerable number of C19 historic buildings, terraces and townscapes; • the consistent integrated quality of the heritage environment; • the notable buildings providing focal points of interest including those around The Circle and on the through roads – Castle Street and Morgan Street, and Queen Victoria Street and Harcourt Terrace; • the adjacent Bedwellty Park Conservation Area; • the good road network with routes linking to Cardiff and Newport and the nearby Heads of the Valleys Rd; • the improved public realm along Castle Street; • the valley side setting with long distance views of the surrounding hills; • the appointment of the THI Management Board (see appendix for composition) • the potential for THI and other regeneration funding and management from government agencies; and • the economic support through Circuit of Wales development, Enterprise Zone designation and introduction of super-fast Broadband.

Weaknesses: • the continuing decline in the local industrial economy that is reflected in weak demand for local goods, services & property; • low profitability of some businesses discouraging appropriate maintenance; • visual impact of vacant shops and upper floors • shop signs typically dominate shop frontages disrupting original architecture • poor quality of replacement materials and detailing on many heritage buildings; • lack of appropriate maintenance and care for heritage details; • inappropriate designs and materials of some new and enveloping development; • poor local environments at the ‘gateways’ to the Conservation Area;

Opportunities: • improve heritage building maintenance, repairs and management; • increase in planning and design controls and guidance – particularly for alterations; • further sensitive regeneration of key sites; • reuse of underused and vacant floor space; • improvement of town centre economic viability and sustainability by targeting niche markets with development of specialist shopping and leisure sectors; • marketing of Conservation Area heritage with interpretation initiatives including walks tracing the history of the town and its buildings; • traffic and parking management to reduce adverse impacts; • and improve the information and routes linking the Tredegar Conservation Area with the Bedwellty House and Park Conservation Area.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Threats:

• continuing economic difficulties for shops/ businesses may discourage further private investment; • increase in unused buildings lead to sense of neglect and decline; • resistance to appropriate controls on historic building maintenance and alterations; • inappropriate designs of new infill buildings, extensions, shop fronts & alterations; • increasing traffic movement and parking impact on all streets; • lack of resources to continue implementation of higher quality public realm, etc; • continuing competition from out of town retailing, other nearby centres and internet shopping.

Castle Street Congregational Church, at a high point in the Conservation Area at the top of Castle St.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

5.2 Positive issues and assets

The special heritage characteristics of interest that need to be protected and enhanced, include:

• the overall character of the town Conservation Area: the aerial photograph demonstrates the planned grid layout of the historic town with its centre strongly identified by The Circle and the Town Clock. The current character of this area incorporates significant examples of the history of its development and retains the spirit of the town at its economic and social peak. The maintenance and refurbishment of buildings have often been unsympathetic to the original detailing and subtlety of the heritage designs, though widespread demolition of the original 19th century building stock has been avoided and there is a good continuity of traditional commercial frontages.

• significant townscape groups of buildings: the Victorian terraces of commercial and residential buildings on the sloping ground combine to create an attractive continuity of scale and form throughout the Conservation Area. The planned street layout with the continuous terraces is punctuated by focal buildings and changes of design and materials.

As Tredegar Conservation Area is predominantly built up with terraces, there are numerous significant groupings, though the most significant is the planned The Circle around the Clock Tower.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

• individual buildings that have important historic associations: the historic associations include: early industrial development – the Company Shop; the links with the early National Health Service: 10 The Circle and the General Hospital; homes and properties used by famous politicians – Aneurin Bevan and Michael Foot; etc

Company Shop No.10 The Circle General Hospital No.2 Queens Square

• individual incident buildings providing focal points of interest: of particular heritage merit and/or locational impact include the notable buildings around The Circle – NCB Building (the old town hall), the Tredegar Arms and the Clock Tower; the Castle Hotel and the Castle Street Congregational Church on Castle Street; on Morgan Street, the Masonic Hall and the Olympia building; on Harcourt Terrace, the Saron Congregational Chapel and the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel; and on Bridge Street, the Siloh Baptist Chapel and the Company Shop around the corner on Shop Row.

Listed Saron Congregational Chapel sited as a focal point to face the Market Street axis to The Circle

• and the long distance views from the Conservation Area: of the hills surrounding the valley location of Tredegar provide an important setting that needs to be protected from inappropriate development;

View of hills to the south from Castle Street.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

5.2 Negative issues and problems

The key negative issues and problems within the Conservation Area are:

• Examples of poor building alterations and repairs:

A significant number of buildings within the Conservation Area display a loss of some of their traditional heritage qualities that are gradually changing the overall historic townscapes. The main examples are:

• loss of heritage details and materials including low quality repairs; • use of render and other non heritage wall finishes; • use of inappropriate roof materials; • replacement of front doors with inappropriate designs and finishes; • replacement of wooden sash windows with UPVC frames and different window designs; • removal of heritage mouldings and other details; • removal of chimney stacks and pots; • addition of aerials and satellite dishes; and • extensions and outbuildings of inappropriate design, scale and materials.

Examples of loss of heritage detail that illustrate the impact of a range of issues and problems that are widespread throughout the Conservation Area, including: the loss of the original sash windows with replacement windows in uPVC with inappropriate glazing bars and reveals; the loss of traditional doors that have been replaced by a range of designs and materials; the use of artificial slate and other materials to replace the original Welsh slate; the loss of chimney stacks and pots which create a rhythm along the streetscape; and in particular the widespread use of sand coloured rendered wall finishes which is changing the heritage character. Each of these changes has a negative impact on the heritage quality of the building and collectively have a significant detrimental effect on the character of the streetscape.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

• Replacement shop frontages and signage: with inappropriate designs and materials have the most dramatic effect on the visual qualities of the Conservation Area. The eye level impact of the variety of bright colours of signs and the use of large areas of glazing is at odds with the traditional forms of the historic buildings.

Notable examples occur along Castle Street and around The Circle where the visual appearance of the Victorian terraces of shops are now disrupted by a non-unified approach to the repair, replacement and detailing of the shop fronts which has led to a dilution of the original design and a loss of heritage character.

A number of shops on Castle Street, Morgan Street and The Circle display the concerns about the loss of traditional shop window frames and removal of heritage detail, poor building alterations and inappropriate replacement shop fronts and signage changing the period design of the building.

Unused buildings throughout the Conservation Area detract from the visual qualities of the heritage environment and discourage new investment. Economic changes will be needed to assist and encourage reuse. Many shops have vacant floor space above ground floor and the lack of economic returns is resulting in poor maintenance and inappropriate repairs.

The Townscape Heritage Initiative will improve the heritage appearance and potential for reuse of selected buildings which should encourage greater occupancy of vacant buildings within the Historical Core of the Conservation Area.

The examples above are on the historic shopping frontages on Castle Street.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

• Impact of inappropriate new development designs within the heritage townscape: Although the economic difficulties of the town has enabled the majority of the Conservation Area to retain its Victorian streetscapes, some examples of new infill development have been of inappropriate design and quality which do not integrate with their adjacent heritage buildings. This can have a significant impact on the attraction of the wider streetscape and the economic success of the area.

I n the Conservation Area as a whole there is a remarkable lack of new infill development. However the example of the library building on The Circle illustrates the impact of how new forms and materials can damage the qualities of the streetscape as a whole, and in particular, disrupt the sensitive balance of designs around the historic centre of Tredegar.

• Economic difficulties, resulting vacancies & poor maintenance: The decline in the prosperity of Tredegar over the last 50 years has led to the under-performance of the town centre economy. Sustained action will be required to ensure the town maintains (and improves) its position in the sub-regional shopping hierarchy. The regeneration of the town requires increased use from its local catchment area and more visitors with a higher spend, in order that capital improvements are sustained in the longer term. The increasing accessibility to other retail centres and employment market adds to the poorer local economic conditions. As a result, the demand for the resulting value and returns from commercial buildings has been weak, and the subsequent lack of maintenance, low quality repairs and vacancies have had a detrimental effect on the Conservation Area qualities.

The Castle Hotel is an important location whose success impacts on surrounding businesses.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

6.0 Policy guidance and design principles

The following six key principles provide a basis for the policy and management recommendations identified in this document:

Principle 1. The historic environment is a shared resource. Section 2 identifies policies and design guidance for the future of all buildings and places within the Conservation Area;

Principle 2. Everyone should be able to participate in sustaining the historic environment. In addition to the guidance in section 6, see section 7.7 - Community Involvement;

Principle 3. Understanding the significance of places is vital. Section 4 of this Conservation Area Appraisal identifies, describes and locates the character and appearance of different parts of the area;

Principle 4. Significant Places should be managed to sustain their values The role of this document is to identify the key issues and opportunities for management of the area: see section 7.2.4;

Principle 5. Decisions about change must be reasonable, transparent and consistent. Section 7 – Management Recommendations and Section 8 – Implementation Actions, identifies the key approaches to support the current Conservation Area planning procedures;

Principle 6. Documenting and learning from decisions is essential. Section 7.7 – Monitoring Change lists methods to inform both the community and the authorities.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

6.1 Conservation area development policy and design principles

The application of policy and design guidance, both generic and local, with Conservation Area wide design advice and site specific recommendations, will need to be linked with the Local Development Plan and following public consultation and Council adoption/approval process it will constitute a material consideration in planning decisions with the same weight attached to SPG. The positive assets described in section one need protection, while the negative problems need to be resolved or limited.

The following issues are discussed below in sections 6, 7 and 8:

• Policy guidance for existing and new development in the Conservation Area • Management framework for the public realm • Design guidance for selected sites and issues • Conservation and planning control measures; • Community involvement; and an • Implementation programme.

6.2 Policies for reuse and enhancement of existing buildings

The following notes highlight the primary considerations for development control or the maintenance or replacement of heritage components within the Conservation Area.

Approach to repairs and alterations

Design guidance should encourage residents/owners to repair original elements in preference to replacement. Advice on how repairs and alterations should be carried out is available from the following websites:

• www.ihbc.org.uk/stitch_in_time/index.htm; • www.maintainyourbuilding.org.uk; and • www.maintenancematterswales.org.uk(a Cadw document).

Currently some minor alterations to unlisted buildings within the Conservation Area do not require planning permission and the results often compromise their historic interest and architectural integrity with an adverse impact on the historic townscape.

The proliferation of relatively minor building alterations, many of which do not require planning permission, is incrementally eroding the character and appearance of the Conservation Area. Inappropriate modern alterations can adversely affect the subtlety, balance and proportions of building elevations and can also be physically damaging to the fabric of historic buildings. Important original features threatened by such alterations include shop fronts, timber sash windows, doors and door cases, cast iron handrails, railings, rainwater goods, and chimney pots and stacks. It is important, therefore, that property owners and occupiers adopt the right approach to repairs and the replacement of these features.

In the first instance, regular maintenance should be carried out to prevent, or at least delay, the need for more significant repairs. Repairs should only be undertaken where considered necessary to slow down the process of decay without damaging the character of the building. In the vast majority of cases, a traditional approach to repair should be adopted, replacing decayed material on a like for like basis. In certain circumstances, decay may be so advanced that the fabric is beyond repair and the replacement of the features may be necessary. Care should be taken to avoid the unnecessary loss of historic fabric. For example, the discrete insertion of modern draft seals can greatly enhance the performance of casement and sash windows in respect of heat retention and ease of use.

The following guidelines are intended to advise the residents and owners within the Conservation Area of the general approach to be taken when contemplating external repairs or alterations. Owners and occupiers should, however, always seek the more detailed and specific advice of the Council Development Management and Conservation Officers before carrying out works to their buildings.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Repairs to this important corner site where Castle Street meets The Circle demonstrate the benefits of accurate heritage renovations.

Guidelines for external repair and alteration work

The following examples provide some guidance but further advice is available from Blaenau Gwent CBC Conservation and Development Control Officers:

Windows and doors Existing windows and external doors should be retained and carefully repaired wherever possible. In the Conservation Area most original windows on the older buildings are of a timber sliding-sash design. If replacement is unavoidable, new windows should be accurate replicas of the original design, in both pattern and detail. PVC frames are only acceptable where they achieve these aims. Windows and doors should be painted and not stained. The size and proportions of the openings should not be altered or replaced and, importantly, reveals or setbacks should be retained to maintain the perceived ‘depth’ of the elevation.

Roofs Pitched roofs are essential to maintain the traditional building forms. Welsh slates are the predominant material. Appropriate materials are needed to match the requirements of each building. Concrete tiles are unacceptable as are roof lights on the front elevation of buildings. When possible, Photo Voltaic panels on roofs should be on rear elevations and their metal frames should match the roofing materials.

Chimneys and pots Chimneys requiring repair should be reinstated or rebuilt accurately to the original height and profile, in materials to match the existing, which in most cases in Tredegar, is brick. Original clay pots should be replaced appropriately or reinstated where necessary.

Ironwork Decorative ironwork, such as railings and balconies should be retained and carefully repaired or, if necessary, reinstated accurately to the original pattern and detail in a similar material, usually wrought or cast iron.

Shop fronts and signage Traditional shop fronts should be retained and opportunities to reinstate heritage designs should be required whenever alterations are proposed. New or replacement shop fronts and their signage should display good proportions, well thought out detailing and quality materials. They should respect the period of the building but simplicity of design often produces more convincing results than excessive ‘Victoriana’. Detailed drawings, particularly of joinery construction, should accompany applications for proposed new shop fronts.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

6.3 Policies for new development within heritage areas

There has been relatively little new development in the core of the Conservation Area in recent years due to the poor economic context for the town, but it is hoped that the current regeneration initiatives will encourage the sensitive and appropriate redevelopment of the gap sites that are detrimental to the character and quality of the area.

The notable exception is the former Arosfa site development on the south western boundary of the Conservation Area. Further new housing developments are taking place around the fringes of the area and, generally, the scope for new development is in areas bordering the conservation area rather than within it. However, the setting, wider context and approach to the town centre are a vital part of the overall quality and integrity of the town.

Where inappropriate design forms, materials and detailing of more recent development have occurred - such as the Library on The Circle, this has been detrimental to the streetscape, the heritage setting and the environmental qualities of the Conservation Area. Individual infill developments reflect the taste and design approach of their eras, but where they have respected the principles of the historic building line, and of the scale, massing and form of their neighbours, they are generally absorbed into the streetscape with success. Frequently the most critical issue is respecting and maintaining the rhythm of bays and openings in the streetscape and building facades.

Where new development is proposed it is important that it is guided by sound principles of urban design, as well as sympathetic detailing in relation to its historic context. All forms of new development within the Conservation Area should:

• preserve and reinforce the distinctive pattern of traditional development, including street patterns, open spaces and trees, plot boundaries & boundary treatments; • have regard for existing building lines & the orientation of existing development; • respond to the particular rhythm and articulation of the subdivision of the street scape and individual buildings in terms of bays and openings that break up the façade;

The extension to the General Hospital has repeated the forms, materials and fenestration of the traditional hospital buildings with a successful modern appearance.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

• reinforce the distinctive character and grain of the particular character area of the town centre, through an informed understanding of its building forms and styles, features and materials. Pastiche forms of development and the superficial echoing of historic features in new buildings should be avoided; • respect the scale and massing of surrounding buildings. It is essential that new development is not out of scale with existing buildings by way of its height, floor levels, size of windows and doors, overall massing and roof scape; • maintain key views and vistas within, into and out of the Conservation Area; and • where possible, minimise the visual impact of parked vehicles and the provision of parking areas on the streetscape and landscape setting of historic streets and buildings.

Where new development is proposed for areas that are adjacent to the Conservation Area, it will be equally important for care and consideration of the impact of the intended urban design and detailing. Where appropriate, all forms of new development should respect the principles listed above, with particular concern to:

• ensure new development continues the local scale, form and materials in order to reinforce the distinctive architectural character of the immediate context; • consider the impact of new development on key views and vistas; and • ensure that new road layouts and parking arrangements have a limited impact on the streetscape qualities of the locality. Sensitive layout, designs and landscaping are required to reduce the areas of tarmac and lines of parked cars;

Good quality, contemporary designs may be appropriate in the Conservation Area, but the concern must be to avoid incongruous and low grade development.

6.4 Management framework for the public realm

The public realm has the potential to make a significant contribution to the appearance and use of the Conservation Area. By creating a high quality, attractive streetscape and improved open space, a better stage can be created for appreciating the attractive historic townscapes of Tredegar.

Old photographs of Tredegar show the simple uncluttered designs throughout the public realm. Present day use of these areas including the needs of vehicular use and parking, pedestrian routes and the supporting street furniture and signage create new requirements where there are few traditional answers.

The treatment of the spaces between the buildings are critically important in the overall quality and character of the Conservation Area and need to follow sound principles of urban design and respect for the heritage qualities of the Conservation Area. Specific issues to be addressed include:

• Context - an appreciation of the local setting and identity of an area coupled with a sympathetic choice of materials and details to respond to, and reinforce, the local character of the place.

• Creating spaces and places - the degree of openness or enclosure of a space, together with its scale, form and massing, helps to give it a character and identity and reinforces issues of safety, security, comfort, variety and interest.

• Encouraging activity - active frontages help promote on-street activity and vibrancy as well as providing over-looking and natural surveillance to a space or street.

• Variety and interest - like the buildings in a street scene, the public realm needs as much careful consideration of the balance of uniformity and variety, to create a range of opportunities and settings for a variety of users, amenities and social groups.

A simple palette of materials, planting and street furniture should be considered for the Conservation Area as a whole to limit any confusion of solutions.

Fundamental to the appearance of the public realm around the Conservation Area are the pavements and front boundary walls. Replacing paving slabs, rather than tarmac in fills, creates a consistent setting for the traditional buildings. This has been achieved successfully along Castle Street. Again the consistent use of either stone or brick along each road is preferable to a mixture of materials.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Example of the visual impact of an unsightly mix of boundary wall materials – natural stone, brick, painted stone, and plain and patterned concrete blocks.

The most important public open space is the extension to Bedwellty Park that is located between the General Hospital and the rear of properties on Morgan Street. This area is used primarily for sporting activities but is a traditional open space that requires a comprehensive management plan to coordinate and maintain the designs, materials and planting of this key location.

The steep hillsides above the Conservation Area provide a valuable setting and visual boundary for the Conservation Area. The protection and management of these spaces is vital to ensure the long term setting for the town.

The main entrance to Bedwellty Park from Morgan Street provides a link between the two Conservation Areas.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

6.5 Specific guidance for buildings, key sites and public realm

Townscape Heritage Initiative - design guidance for key buildings

The Heritage Lottery Fund Townscape Heritage Initiative, proposed to start in late 2013, provides the opportunity to bring many of the derelict or underutilised buildings in the Historical Core back into active use as well as repairing and restoring the heritage features on numerous selected buildings in need..

The properties listed below have been identified as being part of the Townscape Heritage Initiative:

Critical Projects Former NCB Club and Town Hall - The Circle Tredegar Arms - Morgan Street Priority Projects 10 Made in Tredegar Film Studio -The Circle. 1,1A Spectrum Health Centre - The Circle 2 The Fryery - The Circle 3 Little Gems - The Circle 4&5 Spirit of Bevin Studio - The Circle 6 The Circle Estates - The Circle. 7 Coral - The Circle Library - The Circle 11 Best Kebab & Pizza - The Circle 12 Circle of Beauty - The Circle 13 Youth Cafe - The Circle 4 Nelsons - Morgan Street The Olympia (Wetherspoon) - Morgan Street 3-5 Headwork - Castle Street Reserved Projects 6-7 Body Balance - Castle Street 8-9 Ty-Dolli Kitchen - Castle Street 10,10A Property for Sale (Lesters) - Castle Street 11 Air - Castle Street 12 Bon Appetit - Castle Street 13 Master Kebab - Castle Street 14 Tredegar Balti House - Castle Street 15 Tredegar Dental Laboratory - Castle Street 16 Premier Social Care - Castle Street 35 Property for Rent - Castle Street 36 Hair Play - Castle Street 37 Massimo Interiors - Castle Street 38 Poppies - Castle Street 39 Yumee - Castle Street 40 Aneurin House - Castle Street 41 Boys Toys - Castle Street 42 The Vault - Castle Street

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

Tackling underutilised prominent buildings

In addition to the selected buildings in the THI area, a significant challenge in Tredegar is to tackle the larger buildings and sites that remain underutilised elsewhere within the Conservation Area. The impact of such unused and unmaintained buildings has a detrimental impact on neighbouring properties. Examples include:

• The Company Shop, Shop Row, Listed Grade II; • The Castle Hotel, Castle Street; and • Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Harcourt Terrace, Listed Grade II.

Company Shop; Castle Hotel; Wesleyan Methodist Chapel.

Encouraging investment to reuse the historic building stock must be seen as a priority. A number of key heritage buildings are at risk and others which are empty have a significant adverse impact on the historic townscape. Without viable uses it will be difficult to maintain these critical buildings. A programme of bringing vacant buildings back into use is required.

Replacing inappropriate shop fronts and signage:

The visual impact of inappropriate replacement and badly maintained shop frontages and signage detracts from the heritage environment. The quality of shop fronts is an important indicator of the prosperity of the town, and at present too many unsightly frames and signs detract from the qualities of the historic townscapes. All shop owners must be made aware that any changes or replacements of elements of a shop front within the Conservation Area will be likely to require planning permission. The proposed Townscape Heritage Initiative should provide good practice examples and the benefits of appropriate repairs and replacements.

Examples of replacement shop fronts, the widespread use of external roller shutters and gaudy shop signs which detract from the heritage streetscape – especially where there are also inappropriate fenestration designs, contrasting with the traditional design on the right.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.0 Management recommendations

7.1 A Strategy for Action

The Vision for Blaenau Gwent as set out in the Local Development Plan (2012 - 2021) includes the following relevant vision statement which is key to addressing the issues identified in the Tredegar Conservation Area:

Through collaborative working, by 2021, Blaenau Gwent will become a network of sustainable, vibrant valley communities, where people have the skills, knowledge and opportunities to achieve a better quality of life and residents will live in safe, healthy and thriving communities, with access to a range of good quality affordable homes and thriving town centres. Its unique environment, cultural and historic identity will be protected and enhanced to create a place where people want to live, work and visit.

The current Local Development Plan (20012 – 2021) includes POLICY SP11 on Protection and Enhancement of the Historic Environment:

Blaenau Gwent’s distinctive built environment will be protected, preserved and, where appropriate, enhanced. This will be achieved through: a. Safeguarding nationally designated sites from inappropriate development and also protecting locally designated buildings of significant importance and Conservation Areas; b. Enhancing sites of historic or archaeological value; and c. The promotion of heritage tourism.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.2 Conservation Measures

All Blaenau Gwent CBC departments involved in decisions affecting change within the Conservation Area should understand the significance of the Conservation Area designation and work corporately in a team approach to ensure that development decisions are appropriate for the historic context and will not damage the heritage fabric or appearance of the Conservation Area.

Further procedures and additional management arrangements need to be identified to implement the following recommended policy measures, in order to maintain the character of the area and to ensure consistent decisions.

7.2.1 Reassessment of the Conservation Area boundary

The Conservation Area was designated in 1993 and reviewed with alterations (see Figure 7.1) in 2009 as part of the Conservation Area Appraisal & Design Guide preparation. This 2013 Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan has reconsidered the boundaries and proposes that significant adjustments should be made to take account of the historic value and interest of areas with potential for conservation to the west of the current boundary along Queen Victoria Street and Harcourt Terrace, and to question the heritage value of the sites to the east of the current boundary on Iron Row and Shop Row.

Diagram 7.1 below identifies the potential areas for change to the two previous boundaries and the reasoning is discussed below with areas 1, 2, 3, &4 identified for proposed changes. These suggested alterations will need to be considered in consultation with the community.

Within the proposed Conservation Area boundary are two proposed Regeneration Areas. These cover Bridge Street, Iron Row and Shop Row, and the area on the corner between Upper Salisbury Street and Market Street, but will be subject to the same development guidance set out within this document whether they are within or adjacent to the proposed boundary

The boundary review used three criteria to establish the area’s special character. • does the area possess special historic interest? • does the area possess special architectural interest? • is the character or appearance desirable to preserve or enhance?

The following areas, see Figure 7.1, are considered for inclusion or omission from the Conservation Area and the proposed boundary is identified:

1. Iron Row

The land between Coronation Street/Lower Coronation Street and Iron Row had historic uses during the peak years of industrial activity – as can be deduced from its name, but clearance during the C20th has removed all traces of previous roads and uses, and replaced with uninspiring new development, primarily for civic and business buildings or vacant grassed areas. The lack of built heritage interest and the poor quality of the environment suggests that this area is omitted from the Conservation Area.

View up Coronation St shows the redevelopment towards Iron Row and the lack of heritage interest

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

2. Shop Row

Between Lower Coronation Street and Shop Row and to the south of the linking Bridge Street is an area that was also cleared except for two important buildings- the now semi-derelict Listed Grade II Company Shop, and the Siloh Baptist Church, first built 1806. A Health Centre with no heritage interest has been built at the southern corner of this site and the rest of the area has been grassed. The significant importance of these two buildings necessitates their inclusion in the Conservation Area, though the Health Centre can be omitted.

Company Shop and the Siloh Baptist Church viewed from the Bridge Street and Shop Row junction.

3. Harcourt Terrace

Harcourt Terrace, a radial road into the town, is shown fully built up on the 1885 OS map, On the east side is the historic General Hospital with the ends of traditional terraces, a new funeral parlour and one new built house. The west side includes two important Listed church buildings, long terraces of pre-1985 traditional workers’ houses with an attractive public house – The Bush at the southern corner. The west side completes the historic visual townscape of this entrance into Tredegar by including both sides of the road and should be included in the Conservation Area.

The Bush Inn and the terraces on the west side of Harcourt Terrace.

4. Queen Victoria Street

The west side of Queen Victoria Street continues the line of terraces on Harcourt Terrace that are shown on the 1885 OS map. The oldest group of houses is Queen’s Square which is set back with front gardens. This is the site of the Old Workhouse which opened in 1820. At the northern end of Queen Victoria Street is an attractive mix of Victorian commercial properties, ending with the Red Lion Hotel, which provide an important end view and part of the heritage townscape when looking up Castle Street. On the east side is one new building. Elm Court, and the junctions with two traditional terrace streets – Islwyn Terrace and Upper Salisbury Street. Because of the age of the buildings and the quality of the heritage townscape, this area should be included in the Conservation Area.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

View from the top of Castle Street of the facing group of Victorian commercial buildings

4. 1.

2. 3.

Figure 7.1 Current and Potential Conservation Area boundaries showing areas discussed above.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.2.2 Local Listing in the Conservation Area

The purpose of Conservation Area designation is to provide added protection for the many heritage buildings which do not possess the individual characteristics suitable for full Statutory Listing. This appraisal also provides the opportunity to provide additional recognition with a Local List of heritage structures and buildings having local historic or architectural value, group value, or visual interest as part of the setting of Listed buildings, though not on the Statutory List. The Local Development Plan SD57 includes Policy DM17 providing additional protection for Buildings and Structures of Local Importance.

With the assistance of local representatives, Blaenau Gwent CBC will prepare a selection of properties that are considered worthy of additional protection by being included on a Local List of heritage buildings and structures. The following examples have been identified for potential inclusion within the proposed Tredegar Conservation Area.

Examples of a wide range of buildings of local interest and importance to be considered for inclusion on a Local List:

Tredegar Arms, Morgan Street The Olympia, Morgan Street

Castle Hotel, Castle Street No. 10 The Circle Aneurin Bevan House, Castle St

Castle St Congregational Siloh Baptist, Bridge Street General hospital, Harcourt Terrace

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.2.3 Conservation design guidance

The future protection of the Conservation Area will require further detailed policy and technical guidance to ensure future change and development is appropriate for the heritage context.

There is a specific need for detailed Planning Guidance Notes covering all of the Blaenau Gwent CBC to be prepared which set out the principles with good practice examples identified. The following list identifies priority topics for specific guidance needed within Tredegar Conservation Area:

• Shop fronts: upgrading the current guidance for heritage buildings; • Terrace extensions and infill: identifying appropriate scale and forms of development; • Advertising: with recommendations on scale and design when used on shops, commercial properties and stand-alone hordings within a Conservation Area; • Aerials, photo voltaic panels and dishes: advice on location and scale of apparatus to be used; • Streetscape manual: with Conservation Area specifications for paving, parking arrangements, street lighting and furniture, etc; • Security – shutters, alarms, security lighting, CCTV cameras, etc: that identifies inappropriate locations and suggests preferred designs and installations for different types of property; • Needs for disabled: advice on accessibility around the public realm and into public/private buildings. • Landscape management: advice on management and protection and replacement of street furniture, boundary walls and paving.

No.10 The Circle, home of the Tredegar Workmen Medical Aid Society, forerunner of the NHS.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.2.4 Sustainability

The refurbishment and reuse of existing buildings is often more sustainable than, and more likely to have less of an impact on the environment, than starting from scratch with a cleared site.

Even though heritage buildings within the Conservation area are exempt from meeting the requirements of the building regulations on energy efficiency, these factors can be improved without detracting from the character of the building or the conservation area as a whole.

Areas where improvements can be made to both environmental and energy efficiencies with the historic buildings of Tredegar include:

• considering environmental sustainability in historic refurbishments through appropriate design; • window glazing with the use of secondary glazing or the use of His to Glass / Slim Light; • restoring historic features rather than replacing; • utilising insulation materials that breathe and avoid the build-up of moisture; • locally sourcing labour and materials; and • limiting waste by the re-use of materials

The HLF publication Planning Greener Heritage Projects, 2009 includes guidance and information on a wide range of aspects of sustainability in relation to heritage buildings and the provision of new buildings within a heritage context. A copy of the document can be viewed or downloaded from the HLF website, hlf.org.uk and the information covers topics including:

• energy efficiency; • renewable energy; • water; • building materials; • construction waste; • soil, including peat; • timber; • biodiversity; and • visitor transport; also, the Cadw publication on micro generation: http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/docs/cadw/publications/Micro_gen_booklet_EN.pdf

Proposals on alterations and development should be based on ‘whole life costs’. This means that decisions should be based not just on initial capital cost, but also on the costs of renovation, maintenance and day-today operation over the expected lifetime of an asset. The Code for Sustainable Homes is mandatory for new buildings in Wales

Ideally, part of ‘whole life costing’ or ‘whole life value’ should also be to look at impacts that are not fully reflected in financial costs, or which are difficult to measure in financial terms – particularly carbon impacts. This means considering social and environmental costs associated with the design, construction, operation, decommissioning and (sometimes) the re-use of a building or the building materials at the end of its useful life.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.3 Planning Control Measures

7.3.1 Enforcement strategy

Within a Conservation Area, the Local Planning Authority can control certain adverse changes to the built environment by the way that it determines applications for planning permission, Listed building and Conservation Area consents. Such controls include:

• in considering applications for development the Local Planning Authority has a duty to consider whether the character of the Conservation Area would be preserved or enhanced; • Conservation Area Consent is required for the demolition of most buildings and structures; • six weeks’ notice of intent to the Local Planning Authority is necessary before pruning or other works to a tree within a Conservation Area.

The Blaenau Gwent CBC Development Control Officers with Conservation Officers and legal advisors, can pursue a programme of appropriate legal action using powers available under Sections 48 and 54 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act, 1990 where this may be deemed necessary.

The powers available to all Local Authorities under the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Area) Act 1990, that Blaenau Gwent CBC are prepared to use, include:

• Taking enforcement action against unauthorised development – planning contravention notices / breach of condition notices / enforcement notices / stop notices / and injunctions; • Serving Repairs, Urgent Works and Section 215 notices; • Compulsory Acquisition orders; and • Building Preservation Notices which extend Listed Building control over unlisted buildings for an interim period.

Buildings and sites, which are just outside the Conservation Area but adjacent to the boundary, must be considered as part of its setting and therefore similar planning considerations need to be applied.

Company Shop, Shop Row, Listed Grade II, c.1811

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.3.2 Article 4 Directions and Permitted Development

Article 4 Directions can be imposed by local planning authorities to control certain alterations to dwellings that would otherwise be automatically ‘permitted development’ under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 and not requiring planning permission. This extra planning control is primarily used where the character of an area of acknowledged importance would be threatened.

Thus, for example, the replacement of windows, doors, roof coverings etc. can come under planning control, the object being to prevent works that are considered to be damaging or inappropriate to the historic fabric or features of the buildings and historic townscapes.

Although many properties within the Tredegar Conservation Area display some inappropriate replacement windows and doors, and a number now have tiled roofs instead of using slates, it will be important to encourage owners to repeat traditional designs when any further replacements are considered. Withdrawing Permitted Development Rights will affect any new changes to properties with the key aim of protecting the overall appearance of each traditional building and terrace.

It should be noted that such a Direction only applies to properties in use as dwellings, and particularly terraces as a grouped unit of development. Buildings in commercial use do not have the same permitted development rights. More effective planning application compliance is now required on commercial properties.

Blaenau Council is considering the implications and impact of a recommendation that an Article 4 (2) Direction is imposed on historic residential properties (properties built before 1920) within the Conservation Area. The Tredegar Conservation Area is of unique interest and the aim is to help prevent further deterioration of the heritage details and the degradation of the historic buildings and townscape.

The residential properties considered as potentially suitable for an Article 4 (2) Direction and the removal of currently permitted development rights are located throughout the proposed Conservation Area.

Owners of commercial properties should be aware that almost any changes to their buildings requires a planning application – this includes windows, doors, roofs, wall finishes, aerials, shop fronts and signage.

The classes of currently permitted residential development which could be covered by the Article 4 (2) Direction include:

• Enlargement, improvement or other alteration to the public face of a building; • Design and materials utilised for walls, windows, doors and rain water goods; • Addition or material alteration to the shape, volume or materials of the roof; • Erection, construction, improvement or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure; • Cladding of any part of the exterior with artificial stone, timber, plastic or tiles; • Rendering or painting of the exterior masonry/brickwork of the building; • Paint colours for existing painted surfaces not in accordance with Council guidance; • and installation, alteration or replacement of a satellite antenna, etc.

The Blaenau Gwent Local Development Plan 2012-21, identifies the importance of protecting the quality and character of Conservation Areas: Policies EV 9 etc.

The implementation of an Article 4(2) for the whole of the Conservation Area could provide increased protection especially where there is the threat from small scale unsympathetic works. A public consultation exercise will be needed to consider these issues, to decide which classes to control, and to identify the additional responsibilities and benefits for owners and occupiers of properties within the Conservation Area.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.3.3 Mechanisms for monitoring change

A regular review of the Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan will be required to encompass development changes and any new priorities and proposals.

A key tool to monitor changes could include a new dated photographic survey of the Conservation Area. Regular updates supported by development control information will identify most development changes.

Further historic research of the Conservation Area will be beneficial. The use of historic maps, drawings, paintings or engravings and old photographs can be used to inform the accurate restoration of heritage properties and townscapes.

Blaenau Gwent CBC with assistance from members of Tredegar Town Council should ensure that a systematic collection of information on the changing historic character within the Conservation Area is assembled.

In order to ensure the Council’s commitment to promote equality of opportunity for all citizens, Equality Impact Assessments will need to be prepared for the implementation of all significant policies and projects identified in this Management Plan.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.4 Community involvement

The success of this document, and ultimately, the regeneration of the town, must lie with many different people and organisations, working together in partnership. It is essential that views and opinions are sought from both those who live, work and visit the Tredegar area and from the local and national organisations which have a responsibility towards the well-being of the town. This allows this Management Plan to consider all the conservation issues which impact on the town, and which effect its future management and prosperity. Consultations were therefore undertaken as part of the production of this document.

7.4.1 Community consultation and engagement

The development of this Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan will have been assisted by a local consultation process including advice from local representatives, responses to a local exhibition and public meetings.

Welsh Office Circular 61/96 Planning and the Historic Environment: Historic Buildings and Conservation Areas. para 28. advises that authorities consider setting up Conservation Area Advisory Committees, both to assist in formulating policies for the Conservation Area, and as a continuing source of advice on planning and other applications that could affect the area.

Continuing community review and involvement will be managed by Blaenau Gwent CBC with assistance from members of the Tredegar Town Council to provide the basis for review and pro-active promotion of the conservation aims and other heritage initiatives within the Conservation Area. 7.4.2 Conservation education and training

An associated element of the management plan will be to incorporate local education and training measures as they will be necessary to sustain a conservation based approach to the long-term management of the area.

Blaenau Gwent CBC is keen to ensure that there are: appropriate conservation skills available in the authority and the community; a proper awareness and understanding of the area’s conservation value; that conservation standards are implemented to ensure protection and enhancement; and that owners’ responsibilities are understood.

The management plan proposes the following education and training measures:

• appropriate training and development for the Council’s conservation, planning and regeneration staff with cross departmental training initiatives; • Member education and training events; • use of established officer and member regeneration working groups to address conservation related issues; • the expansion of existing academic courses and new course provision at College to include training places for local contractors and tradesmen on building skills courses with conservation techniques; • training for local community groups, Civic Trusts and local historical societies; • open days for owners of historic buildings, including participation and promotion of an annual Open Doors event to raise awareness of the area’s special character; • preparation of heritage material describing the Conservation Area and target properties with a programme of interpretation, which may include walks, school visits, etc; • use of the Council’s Bulletin with an expansion of the Council’s Conservation and Design website to promote access to and improve understanding of the historic built environment; • and easy access and local availability of this Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.4.3 Equalities impact assessment

Equality and Community Cohesion Impact Assessment or Equality Impact Assessments are an important part of the Council’s commitment to promote equality of opportunity for all Blaenau Gwent CBC citizens. The Council needs to consider diversity when developing, delivering and reviewing policies and services to ensure we meet the needs of all our citizens. Equality Impact Assessments provide a systematic process to doing this and therefore will help to improve service delivery and employment practice.

Action to implement any of the proposed Conservation Area management policies will require such an impact assessment.

7.5 Implementation programme

7.5.1 Resources for implementation in the Conservation Area

The proposed actions are based on the potential level of resources available within Blaenau Gwent CBC who will monitor and review the necessary resources to sustain the historic environment and manage the Conservation Area. Where appropriate and funds are available, Blaenau Gwent CBC will coordinate such works with all involved agencies to achieve the heritage aims and to ensure the beneficial impact of a conservation led approach to economic development and regeneration.

Priority management time and skills will be required from all agencies working in the Conservation Area to implement the decision making procedures and policy changes, to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement, to prepare technical guidance and to inform the community. Additional capital funding will be needed to ensure appropriate heritage standards for both public and private expenditure on the built environment. Many of these actions and intended outcomes are more likely to be levered through the provision of grant aid and on that basis opportunities for funding will continue to be explored and investigated through partnership working with other service areas and stakeholders. This should include the potential for grant aid from the Heritage Lottery Fund Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan

7.5.2 Action plan summary

The following actions have been identified in this document for early implementation to further the awareness and achievements of conservation in the Tredegar Conservation Area:

Planning Policy & Strategy:

• the Council to adopt this Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan 2013 and the draft Blaenau Gwent Heritage Design Guide 2013 following public consultation; • the Council to ensure policies and guidance in this document are linked to and consistent with the Local Development Plan policies for Tredegar; • to provide guidance for the proposed Townscape Heritage Initiative for the Historical Core area; • the Council to update the Heritage Strategy 2008-13 with links to this CA study; and • the Council to prepare a programme for those responsible for monitoring change.

Community involvement:

• Identify a Conservation Area Advisory Committee; either Tredegar based or County-wide – see section 3.4.1; • Introduce Conservation education and training as part of the proposed Townscape Heritage Initiative; • Training and Development of Conservation and Regeneration Staff – see section 3.4.2; • Training of Members and Officers– see section 3.4.2; • Training for property owners, architects and contractors – see section 3.4.2; • Increase conservation awareness – see section 3.4; • Information day for owners of heritage properties; • Blaenau Gwent CBC conservation website development; • Prepare a Blaenau Gwent Conservation Bulletin; and • Local availability of the CA Appraisal and Management Plan documents.

Planning Measures:

• Preparation of Local List of heritage properties to support the Local Development Plan; • Review and consultation on introduction of Article 4 limiting permitted development throughout the proposed CA; • Prepare a shop-front SPG; • Implementation of Buildings at Risk Strategy for those heritage buildings identified at risk or vulnerable – including the proposed THI selected properties; • Identify any Archaeologically Sensitive Areas; and • Assessment of condition of Council owned land / buildings within the Conservation Area.

Framework for Design Standards:

• Prepare programme for preparation of Planning Guidance Notes on conservation issues, starting with Shop Front Guidance – see section 3.2.3; • Ensure opportunities for, and importance of Enforcement Measures are understood and implemented throughout the CA – see section 3.3.1; • Promotion of Planning Guidance Notes andwww.ihbc.org.uk/stitch_in_time/index.htm, www.maintainyourbuilding.org.uk websites; • Prepare of site specific development briefs where appropriate, including the proposed THI properties – see section 2.5; and • Prepare a public realm and traffic management strategy to undertake exemplar street works for the Conservation Area.

For further advice or information, please contact:

Tredegar Conservation Area Appraisal & Management Plan