Talgarth, Powys Case Study Working Towards Reinstating Talgarth As a Jewel of the Black Mountains the Importance of Local Community Leadership
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Talgarth, Powys Case Study Working towards reinstating Talgarth as a jewel of the Black Mountains The importance of local community leadership years and for some time after. In 1960, the small town had 56 retail outlets. Whilst the hospital’s significance saw an inevitable steady decline in line with more inclusive forms of mental health care, the first major blow for the town came in 1961 when the railway serving the town was closed as part of the ‘Beeching Cuts’ and the town’s commerce decreased significantly when the line closed for good in 1963. The long and systematic downsizing of the hospital, often referred to as a “death by a thousand cuts” continued throughout the 70’s and 80’s as mental health care began rejecting traditional institutionalised practice, until the building finally closed in April 2000. The subsequent social and economic impact on the town was immense and in 2010, only 11 retail outlets remained. A further pivotal event in the town’s history was the opening of Talgarth relief road in 2007. Major issues in transport and access through the town led to the new road being built which presented the Town Council and members of the newly formed Regeneration Location, Scale and Context Group with a significant opportunity and an equally significant challenge; whilst heavy through traffic was no longer an issue, the Talgarth is located in beautiful landscape on the northern edge of town lost a great deal of passing trade and was forced to address the the Brecon Beacons National Park within the county borough of gap in order to reinvigorate its high street and economy. Powys. The town sits alongside the A479 trunk road between Brecon to the West and Hay on Wye to the East. Nearby settlements include the villages of Bronllys and Trefecca. The town has suffered a long period of decline and was greatly affected by the closure of the Mid Wales Hospital in 2000, the region’s largest single employer. Many businesses closed, adding to the town’s significant unemployment and high levels of deprivation. Spurred by the leadership of the late Richard Livsey in 2005, the Regeneration Group developed a local action plan for the towns’ regeneration. Delivery of this plan and complementary activities by the Regeneration Group, strong leadership from the Town Council and the subsequent development of the towns Mill have seen an increase in businesses, vibrancy and overall perception of the town as a vibrant place to live and visit. Talgarth is a small market town with an ancient history. The old capital of Brychieniog boasts a rich and significant heritage dating back over 5000 years. Like many rural towns, Talgarth has seen a pattern of commercial decline over the years but a series of events in the past few decades resulted in a particularly rapid deterioration of “We have the ideal opportunity to regenerate the the local economy. 2000 saw the closure of the area’s largest single area, addressing the problems that have arisen employer and a prominent feature in the townscape, the Mid Wales over the past 40 years and reinstating the area to Psychiatric Hospital. The vast complex was a state of the art facility the “Jewel of the Black Mountains” that it once of its time and employed a significant percentage of the town’s was”. (Talgarth Town Council 2007) 1,645 population. After the First World War, the majority of the hospital was turned over for military use. This significantly benefited the town which enjoyed a busy and vibrant centre during the war It is difficult to draw comparisons with the more affluent progress report (2011) tangibly demonstrated this commitment over neighbouring towns and tourist destinations of Brecon and Hay the years. Whilst it has not been possible to deliver on all of the on Wye. Issues of unemployment are high and with the exception issues identified, all have been addressed and improvements have of St. Johns Ward in Brecon, Talgarth experiences a higher level of been made and communicated widely throughout the community. deprivation than the rest of the Powys area of the National Park, Empty shops and high unemployment remain priority issues for ranking 1139 out of 1896 of the LSOA’s overall (WIMD 2011). For this the town although there is a general upwards trend in business reason, Talgarth has often been left out of development funding, perception and opportunities and the High Street has seen new shop skewed by the statistics of its more affluent neighbours. Although openings and an influx of young professionals moving to occupy recent developments making Talgarth a destination in itself has empty residential properties. significantly increased visitor numbers over key dates such as the Hay on Wye Literature festival and the Brecon Jazz Festival where high footfall in the area is guaranteed. Governance: Talgarth Town Council and Talgarth & District Regeneration Group Talgarth Town Council have worked hard in recent years to engage residents and deliver activities of real impact within the town. The Community Strategy was developed by Powys County Council, which formed the basis for the Local Action Plan to be developed as part of the Regeneration Group’s activities which initiated by Lord Livsey in 2006.The Town Action Plan, derived from extensive consultation with residents and visitors, continues to be a key document for members today. The Talgarth Regeneration Group was officially initiated and constituted in September 2005, combining both the local regeneration desires along with representing Talgarth as the hub of a group of surrounding communities, as a Local Community Forum Group under Powys County Council’s Community Strategy. The approach was not to design individual projects but to look at the town holistically to identify a local priority actions. The Town Council, in partnership with the TRG and other agencies including the BBNPA, have worked collaboratively and pro-actively in addressing the issues in the town and have gone on to support a wide range of projects which have been the primary catalysts for the town’s recent achievements and general upwards trend. Whilst the TRG and Town Council remain separate, at least one member of the TRG sits on the Council at any time. These bodies have a significant skillset and knowledge base and as such, present formidable opposition against proposals which are not in the town’s best interest. They have taken a strong representative position with The centre of the town is dominated by the Victorian Town Hall the BBNPA over the Deposit Local Development Plan and are pro- building which is a significant asset owned by the Town Council. active in involving the community and agencies to provide a focus Although parts are waiting refurbishment, the hall is far from for action and drawing in funding. Working in close partnership unused. It houses public toilets and hosts the popular monthly with Talgarth Town Council, the Group has been active on a number country market, community classes, film nights and meetings. of fronts, including fostering local produce markets and activities Current thinking is to reinstate multi-use of the basement once which have promoted sustainable tourism. refurbished and potentially for it to house a larger space for the More recently, Talgarth has been part of the BBNPA’s Rural local volunteer-run TIRC. Alliances project and have established a new committee, closely The Town Council have also conducted a Local Housing Needs aligned to the Town Council, to oversee the Sustainable Tourism Survey which identified the requirement for affordable housing. Strategy. This was a high priority particularly for addressing the needs of the younger population. 34 extra units were needed, it measured, Description of interventions applied although there have been no new developments in the town since 2006. The council aims to work with the Rural Housing Enabler to Part of the TRG’s commitment involved a ‘fact finding’ visit to tackle this. Narbeth. Inspired by the multi-agency efforts towards town centre regeneration there, the partnership organised a consultation event over the bank holiday festival to identify the priority issues with residents and visitors. The results of the consultation have formed the basis of the Local Action Plan which underpins all of the group’s activities. The plan is categorised into 9 headings and specific issues are identified as low, medium or high priorities. This work has served as a useful platform to lever in external funding for activities which address the 32 actions contained within the plan. The 5 year Melin Talgarth Mill Talgarth Mill is a fully restored 18th Century Flour Mill in the central Town Square. The Mill’s deterioration was a high priority in the Action plan as identified by residents. Efforts to restore this ‘at risk’ building began in earnest in 2007 and gained swift momentum, eventually winning the Village SOS bid in 2010, a scheme by the ‘BIG’ Lottery scheme and the BBC aimed to inspire rural revival in the UK. The televised development of the Mill’s transformation reached millions and after its opening in 2011, the town greeted thousands of visitors. The working mill, fed by the river Ellywe, also houses a bakery and café sourcing local and seasonal food and offers guided tours around the site. According to those involved, visitor numbers haven’t dropped off after the first opening as much as expected and Talgarth enjoys an increasing number of visitors in the summer months. The Mill is run by Felin Talgarth Mill Limited - a company limited by guarantee with individual community membership. It also has a wholly owned trading subsidiary - Felin Talgarth Mill Trading Limited. The Mill is under a 25 year lease, and the cottage (10 years) from the landlord with a right to purchase the properties at any time during the lease at the unimproved value.