‘We want people to say this is the best holiday they’ve ever had’
THE backers of new plans for an adventure tourism attraction for the Afan Valley said the project would create a huge economic boost for the region and 1,000 plus jobs,
The Wildfox Resort Afan Valley scheme just to the west of Croeserw, would transformed 400 acres of land into alpine, extreme sports, tracks and trails, and forest zones, with up to 600 lodges, restaurants, and a car park. A hotel and spa could also be built.
This is the plan of Martin Bellamy, chairman and chief executive of London-based merchant banking firm Salamanca Group which is behind the scheme.
Last week Neath Port Talbot Council reaffirmed outline planning approval to build the adventure resort following concerns relating to a businessman – with no links to Salamanca Group – involved in the original scheme.
Mr Bellamy said the proejct bring in nearly £115m in revenue in its first full year, based on 85% occupancy levels.
He anticipated 1,200 jobs being created on site, with potentially a similar number of indirect ones involved in things like catering and maintenance.
“We very much want to make sure that we employ a very large proportion of the workforce locally,” he said.
He is confident that the circa £250m budget would deliver the quality product being g aimed for and cater for “any reasonable asonable inflationary pressures”. s”.
The outline planning ng consent also specifies es a 100-bed hotel, l, which Mr Bellamy y said would be ownerroperated if it did go o ahead.
Mr Bellamy said: d: “We are still considerering if the hotel element ent is the right element and nd the right thing to do,” ” he said.
A detailed planning application will need to be approved before any work could start, and Mr Bellais having an experienced team with a my said he anticipated this would be strong track record. I believe we have secured by June next year. that.
An in-principle loan to develop “I can certainly reassure supportthe scheme has been approved by ers of the resort that past mistakes UK property specialists Octopus will not be repeated in any shape or Real Estate. In a letter presented to form. We have come to the project the council’s planning committee, with fresh eyes and a lot of enthusiOctopus Real Estate said it felt Wildasm.” fox Resort Afan Valley would “proA key project adviser who was mote both ESG (environmental, involved in the original scheme, but social and corporate p governance) g who was not in any way linked to the and sustainable growth in its area”. financial allegations which subseA number of large-scale l quently arose, is Peter Moore. developments have failed to Mr Moore had previously founded get off the drawing board in the UK branch of leisure resorts Wales in recent years, year so what company Center Parcs, and he reassurance can M Mr Bellamy remains a big part of the new-look give to supporter supporters of the Afan Valley project as a board memresort that it will see se the light ber of the new entity taking it forof day? ward.
“I am aware that tha a lot of “His experience is extremely valuthese big projects project can get able,” said Mr Bellamy. “People into difficulty,” difficu he should applaud his determination to replied. keep going and to keep this candle “It’s usually alight.” because becaus the The new developers will have to wrong wron people sign a legal agreement with the ar eThd are involved. council by mid-April next year to They key to mitigate ecological impacts, provide delivering a solar farm, and contribute £180,000 towards the nearby national cycle network route.
Mr Bellamy siad “We envisage signing the 106 agreement within two weeks.” He also said an agreement was in place with the two current private owners of the land to transfer it when the legal agreement was concluded.
Mr Bellamy said the habitat management and mitigation aspects of the agreement were “critically important” for the project.
As the report before the council’s planning committee said last week, the project will have “significant adverse impacts on biodiversity”. But it added that as long as the agreement was signed, the impact on the region’s economy and tourism sector of delaying the resort outweighed any remaining environmental ones.
Mr Bellamy said he felt his team had the expertise to satisfy the planning requirements, adding that it had been working hard “on the shape” of the legal agreement with the council.
Asked what attracted him to the project, he said: “The size, scale and sheer ambition.”
He added: “We like to feel we specialise in large-scale projects.” Mr Bellamy said he passionately believed in an adventure resort concept which blended in with the landscape, provided top-class facilities and service, and created a large number of jobs.
He added: “There is an increasing focus on adventure sports, and we feel this is a market which is not particularly well served. Building what we believe is the first proper adventure resort in the UK in such a beautiful part of the country as the Afan Valley is very, very exciting.”
On the challenges of delivering this concept, Mr Bellamy said: “Making sure you get the design right. This has to fit in the natural landscape.” Getting the quality of offer right, he added, was also a priority.
“We want to create a ‘wow’ factor,” said Mr Bellamy. “We want people to spend a week there and go away saying this is the best holiday they’ve had.”
He said it was also important to engage with the council, communities surrounding the site, local businesses and the Welsh Government.