Heritage Masterplan Cefn Coed Colliery Museum

Client: Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Planning Solutions Consulting was commissioned by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council to work with the Council to secure the future of Cefn Coed Colliery Museum by exploring how the historical features can be retained whilst also introducing new and innovative provision in order to further develop the site as a visitor attraction. Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is located near the village of Crynant in the Dulais Valley and sits within the county of Neath Port Talbot. The Museum currently tells the history of mining at the former Cefn Coed Colliery which was once the deepest anthracite coal mine in the world. The current visitor experience incorporates: A retail offer and tearoom; the Engine House, a listed building which incorporates a 1927 Worsley Mesnes Horizontal Duplex Cylinder Steam Winding Engine; listed headstocks; a winding engine and boilers which are located in the Boiler House; a restored gas tram and a programme of events.

Our heritage masterplan focused on: Carrying out an assessment of the current visitor experience; reviewing market trends in the tourism and visitor attractions sector, including a competitive assessment of the visitor experience marketplace to identify potential gaps; identifying the strategic fit of the project with the destination development plan and wider economic development strategy; produce outline proposals for the potential elements of the enhanced visitor experience. Assessing the different development scenarios and setting out development costs for the preferred heritage masterplan option and working with a landscape architect to produce a site masterplan and concept sketches for the preferred development scenario. We also prepared a phased development plan alongside developing a visitor model, which forecasted the growth in visitor numbers and a supporting trading profile, showing cost and income centres. Wider economic impacts alongside other impacts related to health and wellbeing and wider destination development were also identified.

The outcome was a heritage masterplan and supporting business case for the project, which has been used to support a successful funding application.

Thinking about the future of a heritage attraction?

If you’re exploring how to secure the long-term future of a heritage site, balancing conservation of listed buildings and historic assets with the need for a modern, sustainable visitor experience or whether you need a full heritage masterplan, a visitor experience review, or a robust business case to support a funding application, our team can guide the project from initial assessment through to a delivery-ready plan.

Get in touch with Richard Linington to discuss your project: call 07866 742628 or email richard@pslplan.co.uk.