Proposals press ahead for ‘world class’ £300m ski resort in Merthyr Tydfil
Laura Mochan
Proposals have been submitted to a Welsh council to start planning for the UK’s largest indoor ski slope.
‘Rhydycar West’ in Merthyr Tydfil will bring the largest and longest indoor snow centre in the UK and amongst the longest in the world.
The £300M leisure attraction will include an indoor tropical waterpark, an indoor and outdoor adventure centre, a range of accommodation including woodland lodges and a luxury spa.
The scheme will create 1500 construction jobs and around 800 jobs once compete.
In consultation with Cadw, the project also plans to create a heritage trail within the development boundary that would allow controlled access to the historical monuments on the site – all of which are associated with the wider industrial history of Merthyr Tydfil.
Next steps
Ali Tyebkhan, CEO of Rhydycar West said, “We are proud to confirm the submission of the planning application for Rhydycar West.
“After years of conceptual and technical planning and extensive public consultations, the team is excited to take the next step towards bringing this world-class resort to life.
“We have been encouraged by the positive response from the community of Merthyr Tydfil who have demonstrated overwhelming support for our proposals.
The project is also supported by GB Snowsport and Snowsport Cymru Wales to establish the UK National Centre of Snowsport Excellence, and will be the official home and training headquarters for the Welsh and GB national, Olympic and Paralympic snow sports teams and elite athletes.
Funding
Communications Manager, Lyn Williams said: “We have funded the project ourselves from its inception. In the construction phase, we will bring in additional funding partners with whom we have been closely engaged.
“There is no requirement for public funding, however, there is the potential opportunity for public sector investment in the development on a commercial basis.
“As is typical for such development projects, the precise structure and details of the funding will be concluded once we receive the planning decision.
“We plan to review the construction estimates over the intervening period, but remain confident of the business model and current construction cost forecasts.
“We will ensure that all the funding partners are committed to the delivery and long-term success of the resort.”
Gateway
Alongside the rich history of the town including Crawshay’s Cyfarthfa Castle, the ruins of the Norman Morlais Castle, the Roman Taff Trail and Joseph Parry’s cottage, the leisure resort will be situated at what is the gateway to the beautiful Brecon Beacons.
The indoor snow centre would conform to international standards and attract international competitions and events.
Snowsports Cymru Wales, the national governing body, has campaigned for such a facility of this standard for a decade.
The planning application is now be subject to review by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, and the public will have further opportunities to provide feedback.
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Can I please ask the Senedd not to pour our money into this venture. There have been many pie in the sky ideas similar to this in the past that did not develop which ended in the loss of taxpayers’ money. However, I wish the developer good luck and success.
Anyone else notice how Tourist ventures seem to get the green light rather regularly, yet major infrastructure that would help wales prosper independently of England always gets cancelled, or straight up denied. Man, we are so self defeating.
Wales, the country that is so well known for its love of winter sports.We aren’t even allowed to represent ourselves in the winter olympics ffs.
This needs some ‘Due Diligence’, for instance who are Marvel Ltd and Rhydycar West Ltd?
I urge anyone interested to read the comments to the first part of this story on page 3 of the news section…
We are well into the “due diligence needed” stage, that is the need for far more intense scrutiny of how our Labour in Wales government does business. The fixation with leisure and tourism to the exclusion of virtually all else, except perhaps wind farms, is of major concern. How do they expect tourists to visit Merthyr ? Oh yes it happens to be at the top end of a dual carriageway linked to the M4 so all is well, no need to build roads but that A470 needs major maintenance soon. Or will Lee Waters’ buses be on hand to… Read more »
I agree wholeheartedly, if self-sufficiency is a precursor to independence then we need a minister for joined-up thinking with a viable game plan for the future. A John Seymour of state building…
Not gonna succeed. Let them try so long as tax payers money isn’t used.
A better way to regenerate Merthyr is to help its sportsteams get promoted. More tourists due to the matches guaranteed. More realistic as well.
I would be willing to bet that the whole project will not benefit anyone in Wales. Everything will have been done and prepared over the border. They will probably use English contractors who will bring in their own team of workers and after completion they will bring in their own ready-trained staff from across the border and any profit made will also go to English owners. After all, one could not have staff greeting customers with a “Ow’s it ‘anging butty”!! I blame schoolteachers and parents for not educating children in the manner in which they speak. “Back in the… Read more »