February 7 2007 Meeting at the Welsh Assembly

Wednesday's meeting at the Welsh Assembly was a huge success. As our sponsor, Jeff Cuthbert, AM for Caerphilly, said in his opening address, it was a new experience for him to be sitting in the Presiding Officer's chair in the old Assembly Chamber ! For the rest of us, it was good to be in the Chamber at all ! Over seventy people attended. A report of the proceedings will be sent to those who attended as well as to those who would have liked to.

Speeches by eminent people in the heritage field stressed that enabling development is not appropriate for Ruperra Castle as a listed building with an important historic setting and that a different solution is possible. A resolution was made to prepare a statement to this effect to present to Caerphilly County Council.

An interesting aerial photograph was shown by John Thorneycroft, illustrating that now the whole world can get close up pictures of Ruperra Castle by downloading Google Earth on to their computers.

The speakers were, in alphabetical order :-

Dan Clayton-Jones,
Chairman for Wales, Heritage Lottery Fund

Jeff Cuthbert AM
Member for Caerphilly constituency

Sue Essex AM
Minister for Finance, Local Government and public services and member for Cardiff North constituency

William Graham JP AM
Member for South Wales East

Thomas Lloyd, OBE
Author of ‘The Lost Houses of Wales’ and former chair of the Historic Buildings Council for Wales

Pat Moseley
Trustee Ruperra Conservation Trust.

John Thorneycroft LVO FSA
Former Head of Government Historical Estates Unit of English Heritage

Adam Wilkinson,
Secretary SAVE Britain’s Heritage

Oliver Leigh Wood
Chairman Spitalfields Trust