A £200m tourist attraction with shops, restaurants and the largest artificial ski slope in the world has been given an extension for planning permission.
The Afan Valley Adventure Resort, hoping to be a huge new entertainment venue in Wales, has had their deadline date extended due to coronavirus.
The resort is seeking permission to be built on a 325-acre former forestry plantation at Pen-y-Bryn by Croeserw and Cymmer, lying alongside the border of Bridgend county.
One of the main attractions will be the largest artificial downhill ski slope in the world.
However, the resort could be divided into four villages – Alpine, Forest, X-Sports and Trax n Trails – along with a central area for retail and eating.
Other activities could include water sport facilities, including scuba diving, canoeing and surfing.
Thrill-seekers could make the most of the off-road biking and quad biking trails, as well as zipwires and indoor skydiving facilities.
There will also be shops, restaurants and spas in the central section, along with supermarkets and a cinema.
Guests will even be able to stay there – the planning includes 600 lodges and an 100-bed hotel on the resort.
Holidays at the resort could operate on a similar schedule to Center Parcs, with guests arriving on Mondays or Fridays for three, four or seven days.
The developers of the park were given a deadline of March 31 to submit the latest approvals by the planners at Neath Port Talbot Council.
However, this has been extended in light of the coronavirus crisis.
Rob Jones, leader of the council, told Wales Online: “Given everything that’s going on, it wouldn’t be responsible of me to simply hit the nuclear button to scrap the project, into which has gone a lot of hard work, just because a deadline’s not been met.”
He added: “We’re not in an ideal world right now.”
The project is being led by Peter Moore, who brought Center Parcs to the UK.
The UK is also getting a brand new £30m snow centre in Middlesbrough, with an indoor ski slope, shops and restaurants.
There are even plans to add a trampoline park, bowling alley and climbing attraction underneath the slope.
Plans for SubZero have been approved to build the huge attraction at Middlehaven Dock in Teesside.
