Gwynedd’s £19 million transformation (Levelling Up Fund 2)
Almost £19 million from the Levelling Up Fund will transform communities in Gwynedd’s World Heritage slate landscape.
The funding will build on the World Heritage Status awarded to the area and support a package of projects for the Slate Museum and its surroundings.
Councillor Nia Jeffreys, Cyngor Gwynedd Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Economy and Communities, said:
Many local families will have ancestors who worked either in the quarries of Eryri or connected industries and we are proud that their Welsh-speaking, working class legacy will be protected, promoted and celebrated thanks to the UNESCO World Heritage Status and that we are able to use this designation as a springboard to attract funding such as the Levelling Up fund.
Dinorwig Hub - National Slate Museum
A new World Heritage Site centre will be created to improve the visitor experience. Parc Padarn, the public park surrounding the National Slate Museum will also be redeveloped.
The new centre will include:
- improved exhibition and education spaces
- the repurposing of historic buildings in the park
Public footpaths and disabled access will also be improved between the centre and the quarry.
Levelling Up Gwynedd
As well as redeveloping the National Slate Museum and surrounding area, the £18.8m Levelling Up funding for Gwynedd will also:
- develop a new heritage centre in Bethesda
- make improvements to Bethesda concert hall Neuadd Ogwen
- create a new walking and cycling path linking Bethesda with Chwarel Penrhyn quarry
- make major improvements to Blaenau Ffestiniog town centre
- construct a new walking and cycling path linking Blaenau Ffestiniog with Chwarel Llechwedd quarry
Lord Dafydd Wigley, Chair of the Wales Slate Partnership Steering Group:
We want to celebrate and harness our industrial past to create exciting new opportunities for the benefit of present-day communities and businesses in Gwynedd.
Find out more about Levelling Up