The Largest Regeneration Project in Wales:

How the Millennium Coastal Park Was Made

 

If you visited the Llanelli area in the 1970s and again post Millennium the area would be almost unrecognisable to you, especially in the coastal area: Huge chimneys, whole power stations, factories, munitions works and all associated rail links.....all gone and in its place countryside, lakes, cycle paths, a marina; the whole area you would observe as being transformed. 

So, how and why did this all occur?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Industry

Llanelli and the surrounding area grew up and became a place of extreme wealth from the heavy industry and mining over a 200 year period and whilst this brought undeniable benefits to the area, as heavy industry declined it did leave massive scars and industrial dereliction, as has been mentioned elsewhere, the decline was and still is, controversial.  However, the facts remain that Llanelli and Burry Port were left with massive industrial plant that no-one wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Securing Funding

Since the 1980s, when it became clear that there was not going to be a buyer for the heavy industry in the area, the Welsh Development Agency [WDA] and the local Authorities embarked on a bold and ambitious project: to totally transform the area between Loughor and Pembrey into a world class environmental and economic asset for the area. The project rapidly attracted funding from a host of funders, including the Millennium Commission, the Welsh Assembly Commission and the European Commission.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pembrey

The first shoots of the regeneration was begun in 1980 with the reclaiming of the MoD Royal Ordinance factory (established by Alfred Nobel) at Pembrey that was still producing TNT up until the 1960s.  This major reclamation scheme was carried out by the WDA, the Local Authorities and the then Llanelli Borough Council.  With the factory demolished work began landscaping the whole of the 200ha and the 7 miles of coastline on what is now Pembrey Country Park - now visited by thousands of holiday makers each year, hosting many events and festivals and is very highly valued by the locals.  

 

Burry Port

Around the same time, the once commercial harbour at Burry Port, which was once a bustling location had fallen into disuse, decay and had been allowed to become badly silted up, was transformed into a profitable marina with upgrades to footpaths and the lighthouse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sandy Water Park

It was in early 1986 that the demolition and clearing of the old Duport Steelworks began - it had closed after a bitter battle with the loss of 1,100 jobs, 5 yrs earlier. 

The demolition brought sadness for many residents; the closure dealt a severe blow to the whole area. However, it was clear that, for political and economic reasons, heavy industry was not going to return.

This location was used to create part of the coastal development to be named Sandy Water Park which involved moving over 2 million tons of materials to create rolling parkland, woodlands, a 6ha lake [the base of which was created using pulverised demolition material] also setting aside areas for housing and commercial use.

The creation of the Water Park took almost 3years to complete and was completed under budget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expanding the project

Following the success of the Duport redevelopment, further investment continued with the reclamation of the Carmarthen Bay Power Station, RTB Mills, North Dock (one of the oldest surviving docks in Wales, begun in 1795), Llanelli Gas Works, a huge number of railway sidings and locomotive sheds, foundries, a scrap yard and several colliery sites - all heading towards the creation of the Millennium Coastal Park, as it was to become.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main plans were drawn up in 1995 and on Christmas Eve the same year the plans were approved by the Millennium Commission; its key elements being as follows: 

 

• Secure the coast line for public access

• Create a leisure resource of national status

• Create and conserve wetland habitat 

• To help to revitalize the area

• Demonstrate sustainable development and environmental care

• Interpret local culture and history

• Create links with communities.

 

It was a massive undertaking but was completed on time in the summer of the year 2000 - in time to celebrate the first Eisteddfod on its purpose built site, attracting over 160,000 visitors.

The Coastal Park stretches 22 km from Loughor Bridge in the east and Pembrey Country Park in the west and is mainly made up of the following locations:

 

• Pembrey Country Park - 200ha of park and woodland plus the Blue Flag, Cefn Sidan beach.

• Burry Port harbour - 8ha revitalised marina.

• Burry Port Community Woodland - mixed woodland, a campsite, fishing and nature lakes, and a land sculpture.

• Pwll Greenway - coarse fishing lakes, a sports field, pavilion and picnic areas.

• Eisteddfod Fields - the first ever permanent purpose built location.

• Land Bridges - state of the art bridge over the Pembroke to Paddington railway line.

• Discovery Centre - beach, restaurant, information centre and cycle hire.

• North Dock - water training centre, water based leisure activity facility with 11ha of mixed development land.

• Machynys peninsular - with links to Machynys lakes, a SSSI, Machynys 18 hole championship level golf course, course fishing lakes, residential development site, bird hide and viewing point.

• The Swannery - a major 60ha extension to the existing wildfowl centre, Europe's largest wetland habitat and Black Poplar woodland, fishing lakes, cycle way and visitor/educational centre.  

• Loughor Greenway - coastal improvements, area ‘greening’, major improvements to Loughor Bridge.

• A cycle way/ footpath running the entire length of the Coastal Park now part of the cycle/foot path that encircles Wales

 

 

Land Bridges

 

The two land bridges over the Pembroke to Paddington main railway line, are overlooked most of the time but they are a wonder of civil engineering. They were of a revolutionary design and in 1999 won the prestigious George Gibby Major Project Award which is Wales’ top civil engineering award.

The construction of the three pin arched bridges was one of the most complex civil engineering projects of the time.  Both bridges are made of pre-cast reinforced concrete, with sections weighing around 20 tons lowered into place between midnight on a Saturday and 10am on Sunday morning for a series of weekends so that rail operations were not disrupted.

The use of the lightweight PFA [explained below] as a base for the soil covering, enabled the concrete structure to be constructed as a graceful slim arch forming topside, an area that could easily be seen as just another hill.  This was the first time this method of construction had been used in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recycling

From the outset, re-use of the site materials would be used to solve the environmental and contamination issues, with priority given to the ecological and bio diversity (before they became buzz words) of the area and although the vast majority of the demolition rubble was ground up and used as aggregate, if you take a walk through the Woods or a stroll along the beaches you will readily come across intact bricks that escaped the crusher with local brickworks’ names still visible on them, small sections of railway track or, on the beach, lumps of slag, iron, and various sections of buildings now serving as breakwaters/sea defences.

 

The re-use of materials in the site was a high priority, with the reclamation of the Carmarthen Bay Power Station at Burry Port being an exemplar in sustainable reclamation and the re-use of materials and was an early ‘green’ project.

During its working life the plant produced millions of tons of pulverised fuel ash (PFA) which was dumped in a nearby marshland. 

After extensive trials, risk assessments and geotechnical analysis, it was discovered that the ash deposits were a safe and in fact, beneficial material to be used in the Park as opposed to the expense of removal.

• It was used as topsoil in the Burry Port Community Woods and effectively sealed off contaminants.

• PFA, lime and cement mix was used as a base for cycle/foot paths.

• PFA and digested sewage sludge from the nearby sewage treatment plant provided an almost free fertile ‘soil’ for tree and plant growth.

• 120,000 cubic metres of lightweight PFA was use to cover the two massive land bridges over the railway.

• 160,000 cubic meters of PFA was used to create the land sculpture on the coast near Burry Port.

• PFA was used as a base for many of the lakes and was used to raise the levels of Dyfatty Marsh to create the 10ha residential development site. 

 

PFA is now recognised as an ideal medium for the sealing off of polluted land.

Other crushed building materials were used throughout the Park to form the base of landscaping, lake base, and as foundations for the coastal footpath, sea defences and promenade.  Metal structures, railway lines and other items of metal were reclaimed to help offset costs.

 

Savings

Using an imaginative approach to the whole development and cost cutting without compromising on quality enabled the 13% saving in the overall projected costs and a 12% saving on the Coastal promenade alone.

 

Proud

Llanelli can justifiably be proud of this redevelopment which is now used as a benchmark for environmental conservation ventures here and overseas and is one of the largest of its kind in the whole of the UK.  The original aims of conservation, bio diversity and care of flora and fauna are still the main priority of the park Rangers, from caring for the habitat of tiny insects to ensuring that it is a safe home for the larger animals.

You as visitors can help by not dropping litter, cleaning up after your dogs, not allowing your dogs or children to harm or disturb the flora and fauna, remembering that you are visiting the home of wild birds/animals - behave as if you were visiting a friend’s house and generally respect this lovely location.

(It should be noted here that during the breeding season swans and other birds will be very protective of their home and of their young and may mistake you or your children’s good intentions as a threat to their young and respond accordingly)

 

The main achievements of the project are:

 

Land reclamation

 Over 400 ha of reclaimed land, 50ha of landscaping - £18m of public investment.

 

Transport

A new road infrastructure which included a new Coastal link road - £6.5m of public investment

 

Residential

Over 400 new homes in a variety of locations - £26m of private investment.

 

Recreation and leisure

A world class Country Park, a Water Park at Sandy, coastal protection works - £1m private sector development.

 

Millennium Coastal Park

£14m MC funding and £16m public/private sector matching.

 

North Dock

10ha of mixed development with Coastal Redevelopment Project at its heart.

 

Industrial

18ha Delta Business Park; 15ha of private/public development land at Burry Port - £1.5m public sector investment; removal of all overhead electricity pylons and re routing them underground to enhance the overall vista.

 

Millennium Coastal Park: a desirable place to live and visit

What was once a massive industrial area has now become an extremely desirable place to live and attracts thousands of visitors every year to the area to walk, cycle and bird watch or to just relax in beautiful surroundings. The area is highly valued by the local residents and is a haven for wildlife on land and water, giving the many photographers unlimited opportunity to catch that special shot, whether it being coastal views, sunsets, views over the north of the Gower Peninsula, trains, plants, swans or of the many colourful wildfowl that visit the area to breed and raise their young.  

There are very few areas in Britain that have undergone such a transformation going from a post industrial wilderness to a haven for wildlife and a location for residents and visitors to visit and relax.

The whole of the 22km of the Millennium Coastal Park is recognised as an exemplar in high quality, imaginative, appropriate design and for sustainable reclamation techniques.

The total cost for the whole redevelopment of the MCP were in the region of £30m; a remarkably small amount.

And what a remarkable and wondrous outcome!

Thank you.

 

Researched and written by Rod James.