Councillor says castle revamp must top heritage priorities

Anthony Lewis – Local democracy reporter

The redevelopment of a historic Welsh castle and park should be the council’s number one priority when it comes to heritage, a councillor has said.

Councillor Geraint Thomas, leader of the Independent group, was speaking at full council as councillors received an update on the work that is going on at Cyfarthfa Castle.

Alongside conservation works to the castle and park, the council is working in partnership with The Cyfarthfa Foundation (TCF) on the long-term restoration and redevelopment of Cyfarthfa Castle and its wider estate in line with the vision set out within The Cyfarthfa Plan for a nationally significant heritage, cultural and visitor destination .

They have been jointly developing proposals for external funding support through the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

The estimated project value of the first phase was estimated to be around £32 million.

A stage one application was submitted to NLHF in February 2026 for funding to support the next stage of detailed development work and project planning.

The NLHF application requested £1.28 million of NLHF funding towards the development phase with the remaining £321,000 to be provided as match funding by both the council and The Cyfarthfa Foundation.

But In June 2026, the council was told that the stage one development phase application had not been successful on this occasion.

The NLHF recognised the “significance and importance of the project” and provided “valuable constructive feedback to support its continued development.”

Cost

At the full council meeting on Wednesday, July 15, a council officer said the main reasons that the application was unsuccessful were the project cost and the likelihood of cost increases on the project and that the funding target for The Cyfarthfa Foundation represented a high risk.

Discussions are currently underway to develop a further funding application and the report said this will “significantly strengthen the subsequent submission by providing additional detail and evidence to address the identified risks, with the objective of maximising the likelihood of a successful outcome.”

The report said that the council is “committed to progressing the redevelopment of the  castle at the earliest opportunity, recognising it as a key priority.”

It said that discussions continue with key stakeholders, funders and heritage bodies to ensure that the project remains aligned with conservation best practice and the wider aspirations of The Cyfarthfa Plan.

It also said that an internal working group has been established made up of officers from across the council with relevant professional expertise and it is responsible for leading the development and delivery of the work programmes, together with financial oversight.

Councillor Geraint Thomas, leader of the Independent group on the council, said: We’ve got to remember what really began our town. And it was iron. It was iron.”

“So for me, Cyfarthfa Castle is our priority. That is for this council. That is the huge visitor attraction that’s going to bring thousands, tens of thousands of people year in year out and it’s something that we’ve got to identify as our number one priority.

“Yes the Redhouse is important, yes the Synagogue is important and there are other buildings as well.

“But Cyfarthfa Castle and Park and the furnaces has to be the highest priority that we give of our heritage assets within this council.”

‘Jewel’

The Labour leader of the council Councillor Brent Carter said: “For me of course Cyfarthfa Castle is a jewel in the crown.

“But I think we’ve got to be honest and open and say that all our cultural assets and heritage assets are just as important as each other.

“It’s just how we manage them going forward and the funding et cetera.”

Councillor Andrew Barry, an independent councillor, said they have some lovely buildings such as Zion, Theatre Royal, the Miners Hall and Cyfarthfa Castle.

“They’re not all equal. The issue is some of these buildings were of their time.”

He added: “I think we have to be serious about some of these buildings. Are they going to come back? Are they going to be houses?”

He also said that: “Cyfarthfa Castle is in an entirely different league. To repurpose some of these buildings is a very difficult ask. We know what we can do with Cyfarthfa Castle. It’s going to be a jewel in the crown.”

Councillor Jamie Scriven, an independent councillor and cabinet member for economy, regeneration, leisure and tourism said it’s great to say Cyfarthfa Castle is a priority but he didn’t think this should be at the detriment of their other assets.

He said: “There’s got to be a holistic view of this in terms of the assets that we’ve got and ensuring we keep everything in line otherwise we’re going to end up with a lovely jewel, no crown.”

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