A NEW visitor centre, conference facilities and incubation units for start-up digital businesses are among the plans for Swansea’s Hafod Morfa Copperworks site in future.
A vision document that’s now been released for the site also includes proposals for a living history laboratory, an urban square, a brewery, a restaurant, a pedestrian bridge that links to the White Rock site, affordable housing and the restoration of historic engine sheds to show how they worked in their prime.
The vision document is now available on the new dedicated website for the site at www.hafodmorfacopperworks.com
Regeneration of the site has already started as part of a project called Cu@Swansea being led by Swansea University and Swansea Council. With the support of Welsh Government, Cadw and European funds, progress has included clearing vegetation, stabilising buildings at risk, improving access for visitors, community archaeology fieldwork, new pathways, an audio visual trail and information panels.
A programme of fortnightly site tours is also being organised every other Wednesday from May 6, starting at 2pm. Tours take approximately an hour and a half and will guide visitors around the site, exploring its history, the current project and future plans.
Swansea Council and Swansea University are about to sign a 15-year agreement to further preserve and celebrate the site.
Professor Huw Bowen, of Swansea University, said: “The new agreement is a commitment from both the university and the council to further regenerate the internationally significant Hafod Morfa Copperworks site. We hope to build on the great work that’s already been done to develop a vibrant and exciting reanimation of a site that was once at the heart of the industrial revolution.
“Subject to funding, the combination of our plans to preserve and celebrate our heritage, develop new visitor facilities and accommodate new start-up businesses means this site, which once employed hundreds of local people, will again be a catalyst for regeneration of the local area.”
“Ten years from now, it could well be a landmark site for heritage, learning, innovation and community engagement.”
Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Enterprise, Development and Regeneration, said: “The new 15-year agreement with Swansea University shows how serious we are about conserving and promoting our world class history. Visitors to the site in future will experience a place that celebrates the stories of the past and connects them with ideas and skills that will soon define their world. This will help further put Swansea on the map as an innovative city that recognises the importance of our heritage.”
Other plans include a workshop providing metalwork craft demonstrations and visitor activities. A pontoon could also provide mooring for Copper Jack – Swansea’s community boat – and other river craft.
Contact the Museum Collections Centre on 01792 467282 to book a place on a walking tour.
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