



(Title Image: WWF Blog)

Aside from some of the things he said in and around the debate on the (now defunct) Continuity Bill when David Melding says something it’s usually worth paying attention to. In a short debate yesterday, he spoke about the past, present and future of one of the iconic pieces of architecture in south Wales – the humble Valleys terraced house.

Proponent: David Melding AM (Con, South Wales Central)

Subject: Valleys housing – A heritage worth investing in

Summary

The waves of economic migrants to the south Wales Valleys in the 19th Century had to be housed and the ribbon pattern of houses is still “a powerful and evocative image of Wales”.

40% of homes in Wales are terraces and this will only fall to 28% in 2050.

This should be celebrated, not treated as a hangover from the industrial era; it meant Wales never had back-to-back slums as the industrial cities in England and it fostered desirable and strong communities.

Reuse and retrofitting homes to become more energy efficient saves more carbon than demolition and rebuild; traditional skills needed to maintain terraced homes should be restored.

Some examples (Chapel Row, Merthyr Tydfil) are as architecturally important as Royal Crescent in Bath.

Hefin David AM ( Lab , Caerphilly): If we want to see these kinds of homes built again, the “cartel” of the “Big Four” housebuilders needs to be broken and the need side (building homes and communities in the Valleys) should take greater precedence over the demand side.