First look at £300million holiday resort planned for the UK with tropical water park, hotel and adventure zone
WALES could become home to a multi-million-pound holiday resort featuring a tropical water park, indoor snow centre and an adventure centre.
Plans are underfoot for a lavish holiday resort to be built in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales.
According to Wales Online, the plans for Rhydycar West are set to be submitted to the council by the end of the month.
Project chief operating officer Richard Arnold said: “We’re at a point now where 80 per cent of all the aspects of planning are complete.”
The 575-acre site, which is situated on a former coal mine, will include the UK’s largest and longest indoor snow centre, a tropical waterpark and an adventure centre.
Zip wires, climbing walls, high rope courses and slides will be part of an adventure zone with both indoor and outdoor centres.
Guests will be able to stay on-site with plans for a hotel and woodland lodges offering overnight breaks.
As well as keeping tourists on site, the resort plans to encourage holidaymakers to spend time at several other adventure hotspots in Wales including Zip World and the Brecon Beacons National Park.
In addition to welcoming tourists and residents into the resort, it is also hoped that the facility will become the headquarters for Welsh and GB Olympic and Paralympic sports team.
Mr Arnold said: “We’ve collaborated with Snowsports Wales and Team GB is in favour of the project.
“The objective is to make it the UK Centre of Snowsport Excellence because that’s where Team GB will bring their athletes in the summer months and [for] progressive training.”
If the plans go ahead, the construction phase of the project could generate as many as 1600 jobs and once operational the resort will offer 500 employment opportunities.
Mr Arnold added: “The real jobs are in the hands of local entrepreneurs to seize the opportunity and bring footfall into the town restaurants – we want the clientele to be roaming into the valleys having great accommodation.”
When the plans have been submitted to the council, they will take 16 weeks to be processed; however, if the plans are called in by the Welsh Government they could take up to a year to be processed.
Once approved the plans could take around two and a half years to complete.
Proposals have also been put forward for an adventure resort in Kilvey Hill, Swansea.
A new £300million attraction is also to open in Blackpool, with three huge indoor theme parks, live performances and a number of rides and shows.
A huge new £250m indoor water park and spa is also opening in the UK soon, with Manchester’s Therme to open in 2023.