Like many industrial towns, Bargoed had suffered years of decline as a result of the collapse in industry, turning what was once a thriving and bustling centre of enterprise into a shadow of its former self. With shops closing and fewer people visiting the town, this decline was set to continue unabated.
However, with the creation of an ambitious and exciting proposal, the Bargoed ‘Big Idea’ sought to reverse this decline enabling the town to enter a new chapter. With an exciting new retail development, cinema, comprehensive public realm enhancement and substantial transport improvements, Bargoed is set to be transformed into a modern, dynamic and sustainable 21st Century town centre in the heart of the south Wales valleys.

As part of the ‘Big Idea’, the town’s library building was due to be demolished to make way for the new retail development. The Grade II listed Hanbury Baptist Chapel was a dilapidated and underused building located within the town. With a building in need of complete renovation and a town in need of a library, a partnership project was born.

A partnership was created with the Chapel’s congregation, United Welsh, Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Welsh Government’s Heads of the Valleys Programme, designed to breath new life into the Chapel building to house the ‘Bargoed Library’, creating a state-of-the-art education and community hub at the heart of the town centre.

Over the last 12 months the Chapel has been sensitively transformed, innovatively integrating an exciting and modern facility into the historic core of the building. The project has safeguarded a landmark building at the core of the town centre, creating a modern library, ‘Customer First Centre’, social enterprise cafe and Family History Resource Centre all supporting the long-term sustainability and revival of Bargoed and the wider area.

The project will play a key role in supporting the town centre. Breathing new life into a dilapidated building has improved the town centre environment and will further support its economic viability through increased footfall. Furthermore, the project provides an accessible location for what is a very social facility, improving access to education and training, customer services and simply creating a venue within the town centre to meet and socialise.

With over 17,000 visitors in its first month, the project has contributed significantly to improving the perception of the town centre and will significantly improve access to education and cultural opportunities for the community.

Bargoed Library is the first example of its kind in Wales to convert a chapel into a public library whilst retaining a practising worship space. Moreover, the creation of a multi-use facility is an innovative solution to the challenge of providing key services within town centres.

The Hanbury Baptist Chapel Congregation has played a key role in taking the project forward. Once the need for a suitable building to house the new library was established, the Congregation was approached for its views on developing the Chapel. Throughout the development, design and implementation phases, the Congregation has been key, detailing the requirements for the worship space and ensuring that this central feature and function of the building was retained.

As part of the project team, the Congregation fed into discussions and plans and were also given the opportunity of running the social enterprise café within the building. The design of the new worship space was a direct result of the Congregation’s ideas and aspirations.

The challenge with a historic building was ensuring that old and new were integrated seamlessly. This was innovatively achieved through using quality materials, replicating those used originally and adopting a low-carbon approach to minimise energy consumption. The facility performs to the highest environmental standards possible within the constraints imposed by the historic building.

The project shows that it is possible to use historic buildings for modern purposes and functions. In many valley towns, old buildings such as chapels provide a unique sense of place. Many are recognised for their architectural (and or cultural) importance and should therefore be celebrated as assets within town centres.

Despite these attributes, historic buildings are often seen as too much of a challenge to have a viable use and are left redundant or demolished. This project proves that provided there is the commitment, vision and funding in place, it is possible to find sustainable uses for historic buildings. These magnificent buildings can become ‘living’ landmarks, providing fantastic venues for facilities and services that support town centres and ultimately, the communities that rely on them.

More information: http://your.caerphilly.gov.uk/bargoedsbigidea/regeneration/regeneration

Judges’ comments:

“A fantastic regeneration of Grade II building.  Clever use: still place of worship with a library. Excellent to keep community facility at the heart of a town. Good use of old with new. Wonderful example of what can be achieved by a community. Shows that if you get the right facility you will get an increase in footfall!”

Where next?

• Wales Action for Market Towns 2012 Award winners named
• Action for Market Towns 2012 Awards

Ruthin is a market town of 5,200 people located in Denbighshire, North Wales. Since late 2009 Design Research Unit Wales (DRU-w), based in the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University, has been working closely with Ruthin Town Council on the ‘Market Town of the Future’ project, which aims to show how to breathe new life into Wales’ market towns without losing what is special and unique about them.  The community-led project aims explore the physical aspects of the town- its character, buildings, the spaces between them, parks and surroundings. It suggests a way of conserving, caring for and improving the fragile character and environment of the UK’s market towns, led by local people. This approach is seen as complimentary to local planning strategy.

Wide consultation has raised awareness of the project and given the community a platform to explore their town. A two year development process has enabled the project to respond to changes within the town in a way that a short term vision could not. The past year has been dominated by the development of ideas for the town and consultation events. ‘Ruthin Future Week’ included a debate (Whose Town is it Anyway?) and conference (Designed for Business), an exhibition, and schools workshops at Ruthin Craft Centre, alongside ‘soft’ consultation techniques such as drawing days and a photomarathon, to generate feedback, engagement, and ideas.

The resulting community-led town plan will provide a framework for the development of the town over the next decade, and has drawn together the numerous projects proposed or in progress around the town into a coherent strategy and a future vision.

With the finishing touches being completed to the plan, the first projects are underway. Visible application of the plan will ensure it is successful and supported by the townspeople.

The approach taken is being developed into a toolkit with Design Commission for Wales to extend its application to other Welsh market towns.

Through close working partnerships between Ruthin Town Council and Design Research Unit Wales  the project has maintained a high standard and delivered a workable process for the town. The involvement of the Design Commission for Wales as a ‘critical friend’ maintained the rigour of the project and ensured its quality.

The project has been innovative in developing a way of mapping the existing settlement. Through a series of linked abstracted maps the structure of the town and supporting data has been collaged, revealing key strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

The approach is applicable to other towns. A ‘Distinctive Towns Toolkit’ is under development by DRU-w and Design Commission for Wales, based on Ruthin’s experiences.

More information: www.dru-w.co.uk and Ruthin Town Council

Judges’ comments:

“Good cross-working. Innovative and will make a major impact in the future. Put the town on secure future funding footing. Like the fact it has been linked to education and brings fresh thinking as well. A toolkit coming out of it makes the project highly transferable.”

Where next?

• Wales Action for Market Towns 2012 Award winners named
• Action for Market Towns 2012 Awards

The grounds of the Old Hall in Cowbridge, in the Vale of Glamorgan, had been neglected for decades by a unitary authority which couldn’t afford to maintain the impressive historic structures or to improve the garden.

But Cowbridge Charter Trust (CCT) have used the efforts of volunteer action to transform the grounds into a beautiful community garden rich in biodiversity, as welcoming to wildlife as to human visitors.

CCT’s initial project was the restoration of the (Grade 2 listed) Town Walls which were in a ruinous state and overwhelmed by vegetation. The Vale Council  commissioned a survey which estimated a repair cost of £406k; CCT did its own professional study and applied to the Council for a grant of £60k to carry out the work. This was achieved in 2011 to the satisfaction of CADW and within budget. The initial stages involved offenders from the local prison who were funded to do a masonry course.

On the strength of this, CCT decided to restore the remains of Old Hall itself and the acre of garden behind it. Old Hall Gardens used to be a thoroughfare to the health centre, the library or the community college rather than a lovely space to be enjoyed in its own right. CCT in partnership with the Vale Council successfully applied for Creative Rural Communities funding and undertook a considerable renovation and restoration process.

The Georgian facade has been renovated and painted; an ugly concrete terrace has been replaced and extended using local recycled paving stones as a space for public events; sensitive lighting has been installed; many wildlife-friendly features have been added and a process of dense planting has begun in order to restore and enhance the habitat and food sources lost when the walls were stripped and repaired.

Now people of all ages use the benches to enjoy the natural world or just to eat their lunches; wedding pictures are being taken there; children love to look at the fish and newts in the pond and a pair of mallard have recently taken up residence.

The new terrace will host a performance by CADS (Cowbridge Amateur Dramatic Society) this coming summer and a community celebration of the Jubilee will be centred on the Garden on June 5th.

In local terms this was the biggest project ever undertaken by volunteers.  Because of the success of the project CCT were granted a 10 year Land Management Agreement to take over maintenance of Old Hall Grounds by the Council. CCT is composed entirely of volunteers and the project has been devised and carried out by them, either literally (as in gardening) or by employing local crafts people – and by involving and working with other local community organisations. And CCT won’t be stopping here: their next project is the rebuilding of the Old Hall itself!

More information: www.cowbridgechartertrust.co.uk

Judges’ comments:

“Excellent value achieved by a local group. Shows the power of an engaged community that want to achieve something.”

Where next?

• Wales Action for Market Towns 2012 Award winners named
• Action for Market Towns 2012 Awards

Four projects have beaten competition from towns across Wales to win recognition for their efforts to nurture thriving communities.

The winners for the Wales region of this year’s Action for Market Town awards have been announced:

• Business and Economy Category and Wales Zone Winner: Holyhead Town Centre Empty Shops Initiative
• Environment and Culture Category Winner: Old Hall Grounds Revival
• Partnership and Strategic Working Category Winner: Ruthin: Market Town of the Future
• Social and Community Category Winner: Bargoed Library (@ Hanbury Baptist Chapel)

Click on the links above to view profiles of each of the winners, photographs, and comments from Awards judges.

Several other entrants were commended by the judges:

• Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council -Church Street Regeneration
• Ceredigion County Council – Min y Ddôl Community Play Area
• Denbighshire County Council – Town Centre Shop Front Improvement Scheme
• Flintshire County Council – Summer Events – Holywell & Mold
• Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council – Pontmorlais Heritage Quarter – Merthyr Tydfil
• Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council – Neath Food and Drink Festival 2011
• RCT Borough Council – Business Mentoring in Mountain Ash & Tonypandy Town Centres

The winning project, Holyhead Town Centre Empty Shops Initiative, will go forward to be considered for Action for Market Towns’ prestigious National Award. National winners will be announced by historian and television presenter David Starkey in October at a ceremony in Kendal.

Last year’s winners (including Mold Spring Clean – last year’s overall National Awards winner) received widespread press exposure and several were even held up as exemplary projects in a Parliamentary reception.

Chris Wade, the chief executive of AMT said:

“The quality and quantity of our entries shows that innovation and creativity is at the heart of many towns across Wales. This years’ entries really raised the bar – giving judges a difficult task – and the regional winners should be congratulated for the positive effects their projects are having in their communities.

“The Action for Market Towns Awards celebrate these innovative projects and share good ideas allowing other towns across the UK to learn from our winners’ experiences.

“We are grateful to The Big Lottery Fund for their continued support for the Awards, and to specialist ethical fund manager CCLA for their sponsorship. Delivery of the awards scheme is also supported by The Welsh Government.”

Background to awards:

Action for Market Towns founded its awards scheme in 2004 to recognise and showcase initiatives that are helping our small market towns to adapt to change and flourish.

For the awards, the presence of a ‘market’ is not the determining feature – more important is the relationship between the town and its hinterland. Towns eligible to enter the awards have a population of between 2,000 and 35,000, offer at least convenience shopping and meet some weekly and specialist needs.

The Action for Market Towns National Awards are supported by the Big Lottery Fund and sponsored by specialist ethical fund manager CCLA.

If you need any information about the awards, please contact: Anne Buchanan on 01633 411732 or email, awards@towns.org.uk. Further press information is available by emailing news@towns.org.uk

Notes to editors:

1. Action for Market Towns (AMT) is a national charity committed to the vitality and viability of our small towns.

2. It offers training, consultancy, national advocacy and a range of other services to more than 400 members.

3. The awards are part funded by the Big Lottery Fund and sponsored by ethical fund manager CCLA.

Where next?

• Action for Market Towns 2012 Awards

Not content to see the town centre deteriorate further, the Plas Cybi Partnership, a community-owned regeneration organisation, decided to do something about the empty shops.

Approaches were made to the owners of vacant shops – a mix of local people and owners further afield in London – to discuss their views on entering into rent-free periods on their properties. The intention was to secure premises rent-free and then implement some quick fix works, internally and externally, to make them presentable. Working in collaboration with the local County Council and Enterprise Agency it was hoped that budding entrepreneurs in the town could be supported into low cost retail units.

Plas Cybi would use its charitable status to apply for business rate relief of up to 80% on all the premises secured on rent-free tenancies.

In March 2011 a local retired pharmacist offered his old chemist shop free for a year. This positive response kick-started momentum which resulted in an additional 5 vacant shops being secured for the initiative. Three of these shops were offered rent-free for periods ranging from 6 months to 12 months whilst another two units had rents reduced by over 60%..

By the end of 2011, six previously empty premises were open – creating 5 new businesses which currently employ 12 people.
These businesses have brought some activity back into the town centre which in turn has given confidence to another two local businesses to establish themselves in premises which were previously empty.

The initiative has generated discussion and generally positive feedback within the community. Local people see some life, albeit gradual, being brought back to their town centre.
Owners of vacant properties now see some light at the end of the tunnel as they have tenants in their premises. Of the five businesses who started in 2011 on rent-free tenancies, three have now negotiated extended tenancies which involve some payment to the owners.

The Welsh Government has backed the initiative and wants to see it expanded. Plans are afoot to bring another 8 vacant premises back into use during the next two years. Demand for premises is high with locals keen to take up premises with low rents and rates.

More information: www.plascybi.co.uk

Judges’ comments:

“An excellent project. It is creative, imaginative and highly transferable; a project which deserve applause. A small investment with real achievement. Jobs created, retail vacancy reduced and a better high street offer overall!”

Where next?

• Wales Action for Market Towns 2012 Award winners named
• Action for Market Towns 2012 Awards

06.05.2012 With over 75 entries to this year’s AMT Awards the judges in each region have had a difficult task – made even harder by the widespread quality shown by all applications.

Regional category and overall regional winners have now been announced, and we are delighted for all the winning and commended entrants.

The winning projects from each region go forward to be considered for Action for Market Towns’ prestigious National Award. National winners will be announced by historian and television presenter Dr David Starkey in October at a ceremony in Kendal.

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