P-04-539 Save the Coal Exchange – Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Clerking Team, 05.07.15

Kayleigh

Many thanks.

It was a pleasure meeting the committee at the Coal Exchange last week, and being able to show just what a surprisingly good condition the building is in.

I read with interest the recent letter from Edwina Hart.

I would strongly question the extent to which Cadw ( please note it should not be written CADW in correspondence, as it is not an acronym.  Ironically it is a word meaning ‘to keep’, which might actually emphasise the lack of dialogue or engagement with Cadw by Edwina Hart.

On the issue of selected consultants for the recent building appraisal, I would reiterate the discussion I had with the committee at the building last week and the fact that the consultants being engaged by Edwina Hart have not been selected from the Cadw heritage framework.

There also did not appear to be any advertised tender process for the commission that Edwina Hart awarded.  Welsh Government may indeed have other consultant frameworks, but in the area of built heritage it is inconceivable, and wholly inappropriate, that the Cadw heritage consultants framework should be so blatantly ignored.  This again demonstrates an apparent lack of consultation with Cadw who would have insisted that consultants were engaged from their own framework.

I trust this brief response email will be forwarded to the committee and thank you again for your ongoing support and assistance, which is appreciated.

Regards