Committee publication · Correspondence · 10 December 2025
Correspondence to and from Michelle Rowson-Woods, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, following the 22 October oral evidence session
From: Welsh Affairs Committee
Inquiry: The environmental and economic legacy of Wales' industrial past
Summary
Following oral evidence on 22 October, the Welsh Affairs Committee sought updates from Michelle Rowson-Woods (Coalfields Regeneration Trust) on two areas: a £50 million five-year funding request to UK Government for industrial unit expansion in Wales, and development of a brownfield scoping tool for assessing regeneration potential of former industrial sites. Rowson-Woods reports progress with ministers but confirms no firm funding commitments; the scoping tool is nearing prototype completion in November 2025.
Key findings
- CRT seeks £50m over five years to expand industrial development model into Wales; Treasury response indicates potential receptivity conditional on departmental budget bid, but Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has offered only collaboration without specific funding commitment
- CRT submitted proposal to Growth Mission Fund at Department of Business and Trade but has not yet received response from Minister Blair McDougall; funding criteria and timelines for Growth Mission Fund remain unconfirmed
- CRT directed towards Government's Pride in Place programme as alternative funding avenue but expresses concern this does not guarantee expansion of industrial model or support for unselected coalfield communities
- Brownfield Scoping Tool in prototype phase (completion expected by 13 November 2025); designed to assess regeneration viability of post-industrial sites using multi-dataset overlay across constraints, environmental risks, and infrastructure
- Tool development faces unresolved challenges: securing post-prototype funding and hosting model, data harmonisation, stakeholder buy-in, and ensuring compliance with planning and environmental frameworks while supporting community wealth-building
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Michelle Rowson-Woods, Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Ruth Jones MP, Welsh Affairs Committee, Darren Jones MP, Sarah Champion MP, Alex Norris, Miatta Fahnbulleh
Notable line
“… funding allocations for the Growth Mission Fund cannot be confirmed yet and that there is no date for providing the details regarding funding criteria.”
Key Quotes
“The first relates to your request for £50 million over five years from the UK Government to expand your industrial unit production model into Wales.”
“The response from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has outlined a desire to collaborate with the CRT but unfortunately with no specific commitment to submit the required ask to HM Treasury ahead of the Budget.”
“… whilst we welcome the additional funding through Pride in Place for some coalfield communities, this approach is not certain to be one which could expand our industrial development model”
“… funding allocations for the Growth Mission Fund cannot be confirmed yet and that there is no date for providing the details regarding funding criteria.”
“The tool is designed to: • Assess Site Viability: Overlay multiple datasets (constraints, environmental risks, infrastructure) to generate a ranked list of regeneration opportunities.”
“Securing funding to develop the tool beyond the prototype phase, as a funding source has not yet been identified. Funding will also be required to sustain the tool and identifying a hosting model remain unresolved.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗