Gwynedd's slate world heritage plans put to the public

Dinorwig quarry above Llanberis bares the scars of its slate heritage

Plans for how securing Unesco World Heritage site status could benefit an area famed for its slate industry are being presented to the public.

A nomination for the Gwynedd landscape to join the likes of the Taj Mahal and the Egyptian pyramids was announced by the UK government in October.

The council has published a plan outlining how the status could protect, promote and improve the area.

A public consultation will run until 30 September.

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Penrhyn quarry, Bethesda, forms part of the landscape

The council-led bid includes seven sites within the county of Gwynedd and Snowdonia National Park:

• Penrhyn slate quarry, Bethesda and the Ogwen Valley to Port Penrhyn

• Dinorwig slate quarry mountain landscape

• Nantlle Valley slate quarry landscape

• Gorseddau and Prince of Wales slate quarries, railways and mill

• Ffestiniog's slate mines, quarries, "city of slates" and the railway to Porthmadog

• Bryneglwys slate quarry, Abergynolwyn village and the Talyllyn railway

• Aberllefenni slate quarry

The buildings are now derelict - but the slate scars remain at Dinorwig, Llanberis

Gareth Thomas, Gwynedd council's cabinet member for economic development, said: "Securing a world heritage site is a very ambitious scheme.

"Our aim is to celebrate our history, but also to use the opportunity to regenerate communities through heritage and create exciting new opportunities for businesses."