Shadow Minister for North Wales and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has raised concerns in the Senedd regarding the loss of heritage that doesn't meet the current criteria for listing by Cadw, the Welsh Government's historic environment service.
Speaking in a Welsh Parliament debate last week Darren highlighted the case of a prominent art deco property on the seafront in Rhos-on-Sea which is likely to be demolished because Cadw have refused to list the building.
He also referred to a historic chapel in Loughor in south Wales which also risked being demolished prior to it being purchased by a charity.
Speaking in the debate, he said:
“I know there's some sympathy from the Minister and others in this Chamber for trying to overhaul the system to make sure that we can afford properties like 57 Marine Drive in Rhos-on-Sea with the proper protection that they deserve. And it's not only that property that prompts me to speak today either.
“I also am involved - and I will declare an interest - with a small charity called the Evan Roberts Institute of which I’m a trustee. We acquired a chapel in Loughor in south Wales called Pisgah. Now, Pisgah has absolutely no architectural merit whatsoever, but it is extremely important to the people of Wales because of its history and because of its association with the revivalist Evan Roberts. And if it hadn't been for the fact that we were able to acquire the building, that building would have been demolished and a bungalow would be sitting in its place right now.
“I do fear that there is a problem with Cadw in terms of the way it lists our buildings. It doesn't always look at the historical importance; it rather looks at the design of the building, whether there are any unique features and the architecture rather than the history and the things that are associated with it.
“I think it's a tragedy, because we're going to lose more and more of these important parts of what Wales has emerged from, if you like, what makes the modern Wales we love, in the future.”
Darren said he appreciated that local listing can take place via local authorities, but stressed that “many local authorities simply don't have the time, energy or capacity to develop their local lists.”
He therefore called for the introduction of another category of listings from Cadw. “a perhaps Grade III-type list, which affords these buildings that little bit of extra protection that they deserve.”
He added:
“Both of the particular properties that I've referred to in this debate are actually listed on the Coflein website, which, of course, is the online database of the National Monuments Record of Wales. If they're important enough to be on that list, then surely they ought to be afforded some protection."
