Agenda Item No.14
CABINET MEETING: 18TH JULY,
2007
REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL
AND ECONOMIC REGENERATION
BARRY STEAM RAILWAY PROJECT:
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM REGARDING THE TAFF
VALE RAILWAY ENGINE No 28
Purpose of Report
1. To bring Members
up to date with the ongoing discussions with the English National
Railway Museum and to seek approval to enter into interim project
development and custodianship agreements with the National Railway
Museum in respect of the Taff Vale Engine No 28.
2. To seek approval
of funding to meet the costs of rebuilding and relocating the
engine to the Hood Road Goods Shed at Barry.
Background
3.
Members will be aware that over the past two years the Council has
been considering the heritage options available in respect of the
Barry Railway Depot, the Hood Road Goods Shed and the Heritage
Skills Training Centre in Barry. Progress in respect of the
steam railway project has been gathering pace but the Council needs
to consolidate its position and develop a wider base of operations
and activities if it is to achieve the ambition of a National
Railway Museum of Wales based in Barry.
4. The National
Railway Museum of England ( NRM), based at York and in Shildon,
County Durham, has been contacted with regard to the Council’s
vision for the steam railway project and officers have already held
a series of meetings to discuss how the Council could work with the
National Museum to the advantage of both parties. Officers
consider that the profile of the Barry Steam Railway project could
be taken up to a higher level if the NRM could be persuaded to
allow the Council to utilise the NRM “name”. The NRM is
currently developing an outreach programme across its heritage
network and the Barry Steam Railway Project could benefit
significantly through such a connection. The two NRM museums
were visited by 880,000 visitors last year and creating a network
linkage would allow the Barry project to benefit from the outreach
programme and possibly act as a lead museum site in Wales.
This was one of the aims of the Connor Report 2002 that set out the
strategic direction for our project.
5. As a first stage
of the development of a process of working together, the NRM are
keen to allow the Council to control the future of the Taff Vale
Engine No 28 via a custodianship arrangement and officers would
support entering into a reciprocal arrangement with the Museum
under which the NRM could make an exhibit at York of one of the
Barry Ten engines with the resultant publicity for Barry and the
steam railway project. If this arrangement could be agreed the
officers of the NRM will consider loaning other artefacts/ engines
for exhibition at Barry and this would provide support to a later
Council bid to a variety of funding sources. Additionally a
bid might be pursued to the National Museums and Galleries of Wales
in respect of access to the engines/ railway artefacts currently
stored at Nantgarw, all of which would widen the product base for
the Barry Railway Project.
History of the Taff Vale
Engine
6 TVR 28 was
built by the Taff Vale Railway Company in May 1897 at West Yard
Works, Cardiff. It is a class '01' 0-6-2 mixed traffic tank engine
and as a result of the groupings of 1922, was handed over to the
Great Western Railway to become No.450. A the end of the
Second World War the engine was again sold, this time to the South
Hetton Colliery in County Durham. Nationalisation of the coal
industry brought about another number change, this time becoming
No.67 of the National Coal Board. The NCB rebuilt the
locomotive in 1955 and it was eventually withdrawn from service in
February 1960.
7. In May 1996 the
loco moved to its current home at the Dean Forest Railway, on loan
from the National Railway Museum, into the safe keeping of the Dean
Forest Railway Society. Following a series of fund raising
schemes substantial work has been undertaken on the engine. It had
been hoped that this work would be completed by 2000 but this has
not proven to be possible and the NRM consider that the Vale of
Glamorgan Council, given the progress it has accomplished with the
development of the steam railway project generally, and as a Welsh
local authority sits in a much stronger position in respect of its
ability to apply for grant support to restore this engine.
The TVR 28 is a unique Welsh Engine.
8. The Council has
been developing the steam railway project and officers consider
that appropriate synergies exist between the Council’s plans and
the needs of the TVR 28 and its owners the NRM. Initial discussions
between the NRM, the Council and the Dean Forest have already
commenced regarding a possible new home, programme and necessary
works. Officers consider this could be the first step towards
achieving its vision of a Welsh National Railway Museum but
realises that it might have to be just one engine or one scheme at
a time. The custodianship of an engine with a past so related
to the history of the development of the South Wales ports would
undoubtedly aid the further development of Barry Railway Project
enormously and officers are very enthusiastic about the prospects
for this unique engine and a basis for partnership with the
National Railway Museum.
Relevant Issues and Options
9. The Council
would be entering into an agreement with the NRM to take the lead
in carrying out an appraisal of the engine in order to detail the
costs of restoration which have been estimated at £160,000 The NRM
would provide a Conservation Plan for the engine on which a
programme of works required could be based. Subject to the
appraisal process the next step would be entering into the
Custodian Agreement.
10.
Following signing of the Custodianship Agreement with the NRM
the engine would then be put back together ( as it currently exists
across a range of locations at it Dean Forest home) and delivered
to the Hood Road Goods shed site at the Barry Waterfront for
exhibition purposes. Discussions have already taken place
with the BRECO Group, who will be utilising a lease on the Hood
Road Goods Shed to develop an engineering base for the renovation
of engines, with respect to the management and exhibition of the
TVR 28 and the related programme for restoration should grant bids
be successful.
11. As
part of the proposed Custodianship Agreement the Council would then
put together a range of funding bids to gain grant support to
restore the engine. The main bid would need to be to the Heritage
Lottery Fund but a range of other bids can be considered and a
local trust set up as a HLF bid would require at least 10% of match
funding.
12. If
successful the Council would then enter into a separate Operating
Agreement with the NRM. The purpose of this document would be
to agree how many days per year the engine might return to York or
visit other societies in order to earn income. Income would
be required to sit in some form of “fund” in order to carry out
essential repairs and boiler review during and at the end of the
custodianship period.
Resource Implications (Financial and
Employment)
13. The
financial cost to the Council, upon entering into an Agreement,
would be the costs of carrying out the appraisal work and the costs
of rebuilding the engine for relocation to Barry. The current
estimate of these costs is circa £7000. The only source of funding
currently available to the client is the Barry Regeneration Fund
and this is already overcommitted to a range of projects for the
2007-08 period.
14. The
full costs of restoring the engine are likely to be in the region
of £160,000 but the Agreements discussed to date do not place this
burden on the Council as a liability. The Agreement will,
however, require the Council to put forward grant bids to try and
gain this level of funding support from other agencies. If
unsuccessful in such funding bids the Custodianship Agreement makes
provision for re-appraisal of the long term plans for the engine
jointly with the NRM.
Legal Implications (to include Human Rights
Implications)
15
The Council will need to, initially, enter into two Agreements in
respect of the proposal. The first is the Agreement in
respect of the Council leading on the survey work required and the
rebuilding of the engine. The second is the actual
Custodianship Agreement. Should the funding process prove
successful the Council will need to enter into a third Agreement
which would be the Operating Agreement with the NRM referred to at
Paragraph 12.
Equal Opportunities Implications (to
include Welsh Language Issues)
16. There are
no Equal Opportunity Implications.
Corporate/Service Objectives
17. The
development of the Steam Railway Project supports the Service
objectives in respect of tourism in Barry, the development of the
Barry Waterfront and the support of the community/volunteer project
based around the scheme.
Policy Framework and Budget
18. This report
is a matter for Executive Decision by Cabinet .
Consultation (including Ward Member
Consultation)
19. The
ward members have been advised of this report .No response has be
been received at the time of writing this report.
Appropriate Scrutiny Committee
20.
Economy and Environment
RECOMMENDATIONS:
(1) That
the Director of Legal, Public Protection and Housing Services in
consultation with the Director of Environmental and Economic
Regeneration, be granted delegated powers to enter into an Interim
Project Development Agreement and Custodianship Agreement with the
National Railway Museum for the TVR28 railway engine.
(2) That
the £7000 cost of rebuilding and moving the engine from the Dean
Forest Railway to the Hood Road Goods shed be met from Capital
receipts.
Reasons for Recommendations
(1) To
allow the agreements to be entered into.
(2) To
gain approval of spending prior to any relocation taking place.
Background Papers
None.
Contact Officer – John Dent. Major Projects
Manager. Project Management Unit.
Officers Consulted:
Head of Economic Development and Leisure
Operational Manager, Tourism and Leisure
Senior Group Accountant
Rob Quick
Director of
Environmental
and Economic
Regeneration