Plans have been revealed for a new family history and genealogy visitor centre in Ebbw Vale, Wales.

The £12m attraction will be housed in an extension of the Grade II-listed General Offices building in Ebbw Vale.

The extension will also house the huge archives of the Gwent Record Office in a purpose-built, environmentally controlled space. These archives, which date back to the 1300s and cover more than 5km of shelve-space, will be fully searchable by visitors to the centre.

According to Leighton Andrews, deputy minister for regeneration at the Welsh Assembly, the heritage centre will comprise interactive exhibits, 3D technology and a large 5D cinema.

Andews said: "Our aim is to provide a cutting edge experience linking genealogy searches with geographically represented data which will include digitised newspapers from the past, photos, maps, recordings, records and films.

"By utilising these new emerging technologies visitors will literally have access to a vast collection of historical information at their fingertips."

The attraction will be funded jointly by grants from the Welsh Assembly's Heads of the Valleys programme and the European Union Regional Development Fund. The Heads of the Valleys programme is a 15-year regeneration strategy developed in partnership with five local authorities – Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau-Gwent and Torfaen.