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First look at enormous £300 million UK holiday resort – with tropical waterpark and indoor snow slope

The £300 million development is set to turn Merthyr Tydfil into a tourist hotspot

Zoe Griffin
Friday 12 April 2024 11:14 BST
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Rhydycar West will feature a world-class snow centre, including the longest multi-run indoor ski slope in the UK
Rhydycar West will feature a world-class snow centre, including the longest multi-run indoor ski slope in the UK (Rhdycar West)

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Whether your holiday checklist includes a luxury spa, top class sporting facilities or an exhilirating water park, your dream detination could soon be closer than you might imagine – it could even be in Wales.

Plans are well underway to build a £300 million holiday resort in Merthyr Tydfil, creating new jobs for local workers as well as outstanding facilities for holidaymakers in need of rest and relaxation.

New CGI images of the Rhydycar West development show that if planning application is successful, it would also boast the UK’s largest and longest indoor snow centre at 400m, an indoor and outdoor adventure centre, and woodland lodges.

There would also be a resort hotel complete with sport, family and luxury spa wings as well as conferencing facilities, plus a water park with with slides, tubes, a lazy river, a standing wave and surf simulators.

Located 23 miles North of Cardiff or around a 40 minute-drive and 169 miles from London, the site is easily accessible by car from most cities, cutting the cost of air travel and the damage to the planet caused by aeroplane emissions.

The Brecon Beacons national park is only 10 minutes away by car, should people wish to explore local areas of natural beauty once they’ve finished getting spa treatments or enjoying the water park or ski facilities.

The plans, which were originally submitted to the council in March 2023, are still stuck in the planning phase but developers hope that more progress will be made soon,

A spokesperson said: “We have been and continue to work closely with Merthyr Tydfil Council and other stakeholders in connection with the planning application. Over the past months, this has involved responding to requests for additional information and preparing further reports and surveys which has encompassed ongoing collaboration with the Council and National stakeholders. We have prepared and provided various additional documentation. Further work is in progress and nearing completion. Our planning application has been extremely robust and we’re encouraged by the responses received from statutory consultees.

Our team is aware of the considerable anticipation and excitement surrounding the Rhydycar West project, a sentiment we wholeheartedly share. We are also very much looking forward to concluding the planning process as soon as possible.”

Read more: Best hotels in Wales

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