Forget the Alps, you may soon find yourself heading to the Welsh countryside for ski season instead.
There have been plans to build an enormous ski resort in Wales for several years now. Rhydycar West was first mooted for Merthyr Tydfil (a town in the Brecon Beacons) way, way back in 2012. After more than a decade, it’s taken a significant step towards finally becoming a reality.
The Welsh government has now put the fate of the resort in the hands of Merthyr Tydfil council, as last month it announced that it would pass the final planning decision onto the local authority.
And that looks like good news for the resort. Merthyr Tydfil’s planning committee showed their support for the resort in a meeting in March. Councillors highlighted the economic benefits the development could bring to the town and the opportunities for future generations.
If it goes ahead, the £300 million resort would be the UK’s largest indoor snow centre and its 400m long slope would be one of the longest in Europe. Proposals for the centre also include an indoor tropical water park with water slides and an artificial beach, hotels, 30 woodland lodges and a conference centre.
Rhydycar also has ambitions to a ‘world class’ and ‘internationally recognised’ destination for sports teams and elite athletes as well as tourists. It’s expected to be the the headquarters of Team GB’s Winter Olympic and Paralympic teams.
Ali Tyebkhan, Rhydycar West CEO, said: ‘We are delighted with the Welsh Government's decision. Achieving this key step is the result of many years of hard work and commitment from our team and partners. I would like to extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has worked hard alongside us to achieve this milestone.’
Robin Kellen, chief executive at Snowsport Cymru Wales, added: ‘This news is massive for snow sports in Wales and the wider GB community and will result in increased opportunities for people to participate in skiing and snowboarding at a local and national level within Wales, as well as a huge step forward in the potential to develop competitions and training of our GB team athletes.’
The application will be presented to Merthyr Tydfil council again early in the new year before a final decision is made.
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