Latest news with #Blaenavon
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Big Pit charging mine admission is 'wrong'
It is wrong to charge people to enter the Big Pit National Coal Museum, a Senedd report museum in Blaenavon, Torfaen, has started charging £8 per person, with some concessions, on a trial basis until July the culture and sport committee says access should remain free on principle and not be a luxury for those who can afford it, calling for better funding for Welsh museums so collections remain free for Welsh government said it was committed to keeping entry to all seven museum sites free, as well as to the national collections, and would consider the report's findings. Tours of Big Pit, one of Amgueddfa Cymru's seven museums, are led by former miners and explore original mine shafts and museums.A sign outside the entrance now states: "Due to financial pressures and funding cuts, from 5 April we will be charging for the underground tour." But Delyth Jewell MS, chair of the Senedd's culture and sports committee, said the tours are "a fundamental part of our national collections, they are part of our national story, and that shouldn't be limiting if people can't afford to access them".The report says the Welsh government has "not fulfilled its responsibility in funding museums adequately", citing a 17% cut in real terms to funding for culture and sport in Wales in the last decade. "We appreciate that it is expensive for Amgueddfa Cymru to provide access to the underground workings at Big Pit," it says."However, we think this is an argument for the Welsh government to provide an adequate level of funding, not for Amgueddfa Cymru to charge for access." Visitors gave a mixed response to the charge, with Deborah Clubb from Merthyr Tydfil saying: "I think [the fee] would make it something that I wouldn't visit as often, definitely, because it was always a free attraction before and something that you could do as a family without thinking about."Mother-of-six Amy Hughes, from Aberdare, said she took the underground tour several times when it was free. She said: "[The admission fee] does make me not want to take all my kids down there but I do feel it's such good value to be able to go underground and see an actual mine."It would be good if they did a family ticket." Savannah Knox, visiting from Southern Ontario, said she didn't mind paying because she is used to doing that back home in said: "If it's historical or a museum it's usually charged. It helps with the upkeep, right?"Showing her around Wales was Lauren Price from Risca, who said she didn't mind paying the fee "if the money's going back into keeping it up and going". Amgueddfa Cymru said the Big Pit experience extends "far beyond" the underground tour, and the rest of the site remains free. It said it looks forward to continuing working with the Welsh government as they consider the report's findings.
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Villagers win battle against 200m ‘Great Wall' at Welsh beauty spot
Villagers have won a fight to tear down a giant fence that was blocking views of a national park. The 200m-long, 6ft-high steel fence was dubbed the 'Great Wall of Clydach' after it was built by a Labour-led council without notice at a cost of £40,000. But weeks later, officials have agreed to tear it down – and will spend £20,000 on its removal. The roadside structure blocks views of the mountains and valleys within Wales's Brecon Beacons National Park (now known as Bannau Brycheiniog) and close to the Unesco World Heritage site of Blaenavon. Locals described the fence, made of galvanised steel with sharp spikes on top, as 'disgusting' and criticised the council for a lack of consultation. Officials said it was erected along Pwll Du Road, which has been closed to traffic for five years, over fears it could collapse. Resident Clive Thomas said: 'It's just an eyesore. When the sun is on it and everything, it just looks out of place.' Simon Elliott added: 'There was no consultation with anyone. The fence has been put up with no understanding at all of what the area is. 'All it needed was a low-level fencing to stop any cattle or people going over the edge into the quarry.' Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to remove the fence and replace it with a shorter structure that will 'blend in' with the surroundings. Independent councillor Simon Howarth said he was pleased with the council's decision, but added: 'We shouldn't have got here' and claimed huge bills could have been avoided. He said: 'Overall, we are where we should have started, but around £50,000 to £70,000 worse off.' A council spokesman said: 'Following a positive meeting, the local community and the council agreed with the proposal to reduce the height of the back line of the palisade fencing, replacing it with stock proof fencing and painting the reveals and pillars with a suitable colour to blend in with the landscape.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Villagers in Welsh beauty spot win battle to get £40,000 fence dubbed the 'Great Wall of Clydach' knocked down
Furious villagers have won their fight to demolish a huge £40,000 fence erected in a Welsh beauty spot. The 200-metre long six-foot high steel fence, dubbed the 'Great Wall of Clydach', was installed within Brecon Beacons National Park in April. It was put up by the council at a cost of £40,000 to block access to the road amid fears the face of Gilwern mountain could collapse on cars and pedestrians. Now County Hall officials have agreed to take down the fence - and will spend another £20,000 for its removal. The roadside structure, nearby to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Blaenavon, was widely criticised for blocking views of the surrounding idyllic mountains and valleys. Locals described the fence, made of galvanised steel with sharp spikes on top, as 'disgusting' and slammed the council for a lack of public consultation. Clive Thomas, who was born in Clydath, told MailOnline: 'We've got a lovely back garden, and it's just an eyesore. When the sun is on it and everything, it just looks out of place.' Meanwhile, long-term resident Simon Elliott ,said: 'There was no consultation with anyone. The fence has been put up with no understanding at all of what the area is. 'All it needed was a low-level fencing to stop any cattle or people going over the edge into the quarry.' Local fury at the 'Great Wall' even prompted more than 120 villagers to gather at Clydach village hall in protest. During a heated meeting in late April, residents insisted that the fence was a safety hazard, with abseilers using it to tie their ropes to. Expressing her outrage, local resident Marit Meredith said: 'We weren't consulted about the fence at all. 'It's been noted that climbers are using the fence to fasten their ropes to which is unsafe. 'It's the appearance and it could cause an accident. It's over two metres high. Abseilers, they could actually kill themselves.' Ms Meredith also alleged there were peregrine falcons - a rare species of bird - nesting below the fence, which were being 'disturbed' by its presence. However, officials at the time insisted that the fence was designed to be a nine-month temporary measure. They also claimed that it had been erected along along Pwll Du Road, which has been closed to traffic for five years, over legitimate fears it could collapse imminently. It came after a rockfall in 2023 led to a council report that suggested the path should be closed off to both people and vehicles. A highways chief further explained that while planning permission was not required for the fence, the national park had been informed. Now, Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to remove the fence and replace it with a shorter structure that will 'blend in' with the surroundings. Stock proof fencing is set to be used instead, with the posts at either end of the road set to be reduced in height and painted a 'suitable colour'. Simon Howarth, an independent county councillor, said he was pleased with the council's U-turn decision, but added that 'we shouldn't have got here' and that the huge costs could have been avoided. He added: 'Overall we are where we should have started, but around £50,000 to £70,000 worse off.' Cllr Howarth also said he was glad that the council were intending to allow access to the backside of the fence, between it and to the mountainside for cyclists and pedestrians. A Monmouthshire County Council spokesman said: 'Following a positive meeting, the local community and the council agreed with the proposal to reduce the height of the back line of the palisade fencing, replacing it with stock proof fencing and painting the reveals and pillars with a suitable colour to blend in with the landscape.'
