Last Thursday (25 November) the spotlight was on Harlech Castle as the Heritage Minster, Alun Ffred Jones, switched on new eco-friendly lights at the site. The castle is one of sixteen Welsh monuments having their lighting replaced with new-generation Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights, a project which has been funded through the Assembly Government’s Strategic Capital Investment Fund.
The Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones said:
“Wales’ historic environment plays an important role in our cultural identity and community engagement. This innovative eco-lighting system, developed and managed by Cadw, allows us to responsibly light up iconic parts of our landscape and also save money.”
Environment Minister, Jane Davidson said:
“We know that we must adopt much more sustainable habits if we are to reduce Wales’ carbon footprint.
“Switching to eco-friendly lighting is one way that we can all make a difference and I am delighted that Cadw is leading by example in ensuring that 16 of our Welsh monuments adopt LED lighting systems. LEDs are actually the most environmentally friendly lighting and I would urge other public bodies to follow Cadw’s lead.
“The project has already realised a reduction of about 53% of electricity consumption and a reduction of 56% in CO² emissions. In turn, savings of 74% will be realised in annual electricity and maintenance costs – a real example of investing to save.”
Building on this initiative, an ambitious programme of interpretation, presentation and visitor facilities will soon be under way at Harlech Castle following the acquisition of the town’s Castle Hotel and car park by Cadw. The move was made to maintain access to the Castle and to provide the Castle with a much needed new visitor centre and improved visitor facilities. It will deliver a vastly improved sense of arrival befitting a World Heritage Site. Both the hotel and car park are adjacent to the entrance of Harlech Castle.
The ground floor of the former hotel will become a visitor centre while the first and second floors of the building will continue to provide accommodation for visitors and provide a regular income stream towards the future upkeep of the facilities.
The purchase of the hotel and car park has been supported by the Welsh Assembly Government’s Heritage Tourism Project (HTP), backed by the European Regional Development Fund. The EU funding will be used specifically to secure the ground floor section of the building as a new visitor centre and Cadw’s ownership of the car park. The HTP seeks to maximise the economic value of heritage through increasing the volume, length and value of visits to Welsh landmarks. The project at Harlech will also provide funding for presentation improvements within the World Heritage site itself.
The economic impact of historic monuments such as Harlech Castle is quantified in a major new report, published in September 2010, which has shown that the historic environment adds about £840 million in value to the Welsh economy annually and helps support the equivalent of more than 30,000 full-time jobs.
The research, Valuing the Welsh Historic Environment, by ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd, shows that there are significant indirect benefits too by spurring investment and improving skills that enable more people to get work.
The historic environment’s direct contribution to the nation’s income is about £1.8 billion annually, mainly through tourism. Many visitors are attracted to Wales because of its heritage attractions.
The report concludes that the historic environment is a valuable asset that must be actively cared for and promoted and that, once lost or forgotten, such assets can rarely be replaced.
