Multimillion plan for steelworks visitor site

5:10pm Monday 31st March 2008

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A MULTIMILLION pound tourist attraction is being planned for the old steelworks site in Ebbw Vale.

Plans to transform the General Offices - a listed building at the heart of the former steelworks site - into a visitor centre were announced today.

Deputy minister for regeneration and chair of the Heads of the Valleys Programme, Leighton Andrews said the centre would be a family attraction where people can find out more about their family history.

He said the centre would use the latest technology with interactive and 3D displays.

A spokeswoman for the Assembly said they would also be looking to include facilities such as a cafe and conference room within the site and are discussing the possibility of moving the Gwent Records Office there too.

She said the centre is still in the early stages and will need to obtain planning permission and approvals.

But if the development is given the go-ahead, it would not open until at least 2010.

The spokeswoman would not give an estimate of how much the project would cost, but confirmed that it would be a mutimillion pound development.

The project is being led by the Heads of the Valleys regeneration team and officials at The Works and is a joint venture by the Assembly and Blaenau Gwent council.

Blaenau Gwent council leader, Hedley McCarthy, said: "I worked in the General Offices for more than half my 30 years service with British Steel - including the last three years when I was secretary of the multi-union works council - and I am confident the restored building will be at the hub of our visitor economy.

"Around 500,000 people left these Valleys looking for work between the wars and we expect to attracting tens of thousands of their descendants back to find out about their family heritage at the visitor centre and record office."