An investigation into how local heritage can be better valued through adaptive reuse and community ownership of disused heritage sites

This project investigates how social heritage is valued and how adaptive reuse can protect it for future generations, whilst promoting sustainable development of existing buildings over demolition. I believe the public have a right to control the future of their heritage sites, so I have tested a system for putting heritage sites back under community control.

Heritage sites in Treorchy are currently undervalued, with demolition a common response to disused buildings. This approach is unsustainable, with building construction now contributing a considerable amount to global CO2 emissions. The best way to save these buildings from demolition is to keep them relevant to the community. Adaptive reuse gives buildings a new function, when their existing use is no longer needed or the building is no longer fit for purpose. Providing the community with a blueprint for reuse will enable them to adapt buildings as their requirements change over time.

I am proposing a Centre for Heritage Reuse, which aims to train the communities of Treorchy and beyond in the skills required for adaptive reuse and management of community assets, as part of a wider network of reuse projects. This will also be a base for heritage appreciation, with the community able to discuss what heritage is important to them. A new community organisation will be established for the project, which will be self sustaining after initial funding support.

Over time, Treorchy could be an exemplar town for heritage reuse, and host guest organisations and local authorities who wish to imitate the system elsewhere. Here lies an opportunity for a new kind of heritage tourism; one which celebrates the lives of real people, through history and today, and looks to the future.