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Regional Development

Tourism resort planned for south Wales has been handed a deadline day reprieve thanks to coronavirus

The £200m Afan Valley Adventure Resort has been given an indefinite grace period as a result of  the global spread of Covid-19

The resort will feature the world's largest artificial downhill ski slope(Image: Afan Valley Adventure Resort)

A major tourist development planned for South Wales has been thrown a lifeline - by the coronavirus outbreak.

Last September, planners at Neath Port Talbot Council gave the team behind the proposed £200m Afan Valley Adventure Resort an extended deadline of March 31 to come up with the necessary paperwork regarding the project's credibility or face the scheme not getting the go ahead.

However, the global spread of Covid-19 has lead to an indefinite grace period being gifted to the long-running venture.

The leader of Neath Port Talbot Council Councillor Rob Jones saying he refused "to hit the nuclear button" to scrap the plans while there are so many other more pressing things going on.

"In an ideal world the documentation would have been submitted as required and a decision made, but we're not in a ideal world right now," said Cllr Jones. He add adding that outline planning permission for the resort had been granted in March 2019, on the condition that legal agreements would subsequently be signed off.

An artist's impression of a hotel at The Afan Valley Adventure Resort(Image: Afan Valley Adventure Resort)

"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.

"Because of COVID-19 everything's ground to a halt, and I don't know how long that will last, but it all pales into insignificance compared to ensuring things such as health and social care and schooling are all in place for those that need them," he added.

Intended for a 325-acre former forestry plantation at Pen-y-Bryn by Croeserw and Cymmer, Afan Valley Adventure Resort was to consist of 600 lodges/apartments, a 100-bed hotel with associated spa, restaurants, shops, a vast range of adventure activities - including the world's largest artificial downhill ski slope - and parking for around 850 cars.