Llandarcy

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  2. Villages in Neath Port Talbot
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File:Llandarcy in 2006.jpg
Llandarcy

Llandarcy is a village near Neath in Neath Port Talbot county borough, southwest Wales, and formerly the site of the UK's first oil refinery. The village, which lies near the Junction 43 of the M4 Motorway, was originally designed as a garden village to house the workers for the refinery, built by BP Oil between 1918-22.[1]

History

Llandarcy was chosen as a site for a refinery because of its proximity to Swansea docks, where crude oil could be transported by sea from the Middle East. The site was damaged by Luftwaffe bombing in 1940.[2] At its peak the refinery was a major employer in South West Wales, with over 2600 workers.[3] However, it was also responsible for industrial pollution at nearby Crymlyn Bog, an area designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[4] Operations at the refinery were gradually been scaled back in the late 20th century, and the site closed in 1998.[5]

The village, named after William Knox D'Arcy (founding director of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, forerunner of BP) comprised approximately 250 houses constructed of stone with a community centre and local shop. The village was the site of the murders of school girls Pauline Floyd, Geraldine Hughes and Sandra Newton in 1973. Their killer's identity remained a mystery until 29 years later in 2002 when DNA evidence was taken by South Wales Police from the grave of Joe Kappen, who worked as a doorman, lorry and bus driver. Kappen died of lung cancer on 17 June 1990, at the age of 49, and took his secret with him to the grave.[6]

Sport and leisure

BP, the company operating the refinery, also operated a sports and leisure club. Following the closure of the refinery, the leisure facilities were acquired by Llandarcy Park Ltd, which redeveloped the site with a new health and fitness club, hotel and restaurant.[7] Llandarcy now hosts the Glamorgan Health & Racquets Club, which has a range of indoor and outdoor sports facilities,[8] and the Llandarcy Academy of Sport, which has one of only two indoor grass training fields in Wales.[9]

Future plans

The disused land from the scaling down of the oil refinery has found a number of new uses. Part of the site is now occupied by offices of the Environment Agency Wales. Land near the entrance of the old refinery near M4 Junction 43 has been redeveloped as a business park.[10] All of the remaining brownfield land which was occupied by the refinery is being re-developed into a new village called Coed Darcy. The Prince's Trust is an interested party in this development, which seeks to develop the site as an "Urban Village" in the same vein as the Poundbury village project.[11]

References

  1. ↑ St. Modwen Properties PLC Investor Site Visit - 1st October 2007. Brownfield renewal in the South West and Wales region
  2. ↑ Assessment and Restoration of the BP Llandarcy Refinery Landfill 25 May 2004
  3. ↑ Land Restoration / Llandarcy, Wales
  4. ↑ BTC General Oil Spill Response Plan: Appendix F, Potential Impacts of Oil Spillage to an Onshore Environment
  5. ↑ Progressive | The helios awards | BP
  6. ↑ The hunt for the Saturday Night Strangler | Life and Style | The Guardian, Saturday 18 January 2003
  7. ↑ Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council - Press Release - Llandarcy Park Ltd 19.02.2001
  8. ↑ The Glamorgan Health & Racquets Club
  9. ↑ Llandarcy Academy of Sport
  10. ↑ Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council - Development of Sites and Premises
  11. ↑ "Llandarcy Urban Village Project". The Civic Trust for Wales. http://www.civictrustwales.org/llandarcy.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-23.

External links

Coordinates: 51°38′25.00″N 3°50′53.00″W / 51.64028°N 3.84806°W / 51.64028; -3.84806{{#coordinates:51|38|25.00|N|3|50|53.00|W|type:city |primary |name= }}

cy:Llandarcy


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