Cefn Mawr, near a famous aqueduct, aims to benefit from tourism after being overlooked for years, hoping a new car park will attract visitors.
Half a million people visit the aqueduct yearly, yet they don’t know Cefn Mawr’s history. The village provided materials for the aqueduct, which became a World Heritage Site in 2009.
Tourism increased tensions in a nearby village. Cefn Mawr was the second poorest area in the county in 2023 and faced decline after industry moved away.
Cefn Mawr has the Cefn Viaduct, but the tourism boom largely missed the village. A local leader wants to revive Cefn Mawr and sees few visitors in town now.
Cefn Mawr’s economy was once thriving, but the World Heritage Site did not help it. Llangollen and Chirk gained more from the aqueduct, while Cefn Mawr faces parking problems without benefit.
David Metcalfe made a visitor center to highlight the village and nearby areas. The center is in the Ebenezer Gallery, an old chapel he restored.
The Ebenezer is also an art gallery that hosts a climate crisis center. The Plas Kynaston Canal Group runs it and wants Cefn Mawr to gain from its past. The center shows how the village was overlooked. Bus maps omit Cefn Mawr, and past plans barely mentioned the village.
A plan for a new car park near the aqueduct failed. The Flexsys factory closed in 2010, and Air Products also shut down. Local manufacturing suffered then.
Tesco wanted to build a store in Cefn Mawr, but Metcalfe wanted the car park built first. It would help the village economy. The store and a bypass were planned. The car park would be between the aqueduct and village, so visitors could choose to see both.
Metcalfe thinks the car park makes sense now, and he wants buses to bring visitors to Cefn Mawr. He believes buses can bring 50,000 visitors each year, which could help the local economy a lot.
The council rejected his £5,000 car park plan at first because they worried about flooding. Now, the council supports a similar plan. The council wants the park to be landscaped and include ponds and parking spaces, and the existing overflow lot will be part of it.
The council must approve the scheme by March 2025 to get grant money. The plan still needs approval, though.
The Canal and River Trust has worries. A new path could hurt the Rhosycoed bridge, one of the canal’s most important bridges. The car park is near newt ponds. Some ask why we don’t focus on buses and walking, but the council says the new park is necessary and would prevent street parking.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has concerns too. Contaminants might exist on the old Flexsys site, so the team wants more tests. Construction may halt if they find any, and the HSE could seek ministerial approval.
A council speaker said they are on schedule and the car park progresses when ready. They will spend the funds during 2025/26.
Metcalfe supports the council’s new car park plan and wants a park-and-ride system, which could help Cefn Mawr.
Arriva Buses Wales may support the bus plan, and two charities also back the plan. Passengers would pay 50p to ride, and charities and the bus company would each get 25p. This could make Arriva £12,500. It will help vacant bus seats, he stated. A bus stop is needed at the new site.
Buses could bring folks to Cefn Mawr, where they can see the village and the center. Cefn Mawr is the heart of a World Heritage Site. Many UK iron bridges came from here, and he thinks it’s more important than Ironbridge.