This project is in effect a new town on the site of a disused oil refinery between Neath and Swansea. The client body includes the Welsh Development Agency, British Petroleum and The Prince's Foundation and the proposals have been endorsed by the Welsh Assembly. We were part of a small consultant team led by Alan Baxter Associates who developed the masterplan for the town in 2002, and were responsible for the indicative design of Phase One. The site is on a hill and enjoys magnificent views – south to the sea and north to the hills. The construction of the refinery had entailed cutting through the contours to achieve level platforms and the resulting dramatic topography featuring vertical rock faces has given the masterplan its own unique shape and identity. Phase One includes the principal square which forms the arrival point from the M4 together with a housing neighbourhood high on the southern slopes of the hillside. Our sketches of these areas combine the local Welsh vernacular with the Arts and Crafts style of the existing Llandarcy village on the southern edge of the site.