£12 million facelift for popular country park

Lewis Smith, local democracy reporter

£12 million worth of UK Government funding is set to be spent on a popular country park in the coming months in order to modernise visitor facilities and “restore historic features.”

The Gnoll Estate Country Park near Neath is described as being one of the borough’s most loved attractions based in its location on more than 100 acres of land in the Vale of Neath.

Created during the 18th Century it is a firm favourite with walkers and is known for its green open spaces, as well as the popular visitor centre and café. However, it will now undergo a series of improvement works which are set to take place over the next year.

Demolition

These will include the demolition of the current visitor centre in order to create a new two-storey visitor centre with modern café, event and conference facilities, and dedicated children’s soft play space.

There will also be the introduction of a new woodland adventure playground for children and families, repair works to the Gnoll House ruin, restoration work on the park’s historic cascades, as well as the introduction of information and interpretation boards across the site to showcase the history of the park.

There will also be extensions added to walking routes with a new bridge linking the park with Brynau Farm, an area descried as a wildlife haven on 57 hectares of Woodland Trust land.

A council spokesperson said the work which also included landscaping, parking and other improvements would begin in August of 2024 and would be expected to last for around a year.

They said: “While the work goes ahead, temporary catering facilities and temporary toilets will be in place to welcome visitors. A popular Parkrun event held at the park on Saturdays will continue using an alternative route and a temporary path will be put in place to ensure walkers can continue to enjoy a circular route around the park’s picturesque lake.”