Plans to build Britain’s longest ski resort in a derelict mining area have been put on ice after council objection.
The proposed £300million leisure resort would include luxury hotels, lodges and the UK’s longest indoor snow centre in one of Britain’s poorest towns.
The plans would make the multi-run indoor ski resort one of the biggest of its kind in the world and potentially be used as a base for Team GB winter Olympians.
A 575-acre site south of the Beacons National Park was earmarked for the plans which include building three hotels and 30 woodland lodges in 2021.
But the bold plan to make Merthyr Tydfil into Wales’ St Moritz has gone downhill after planners are recommending it for refusal.
The location, visual and ecological impact of the scheme, which would include the UK’s longest ski slope at 500m (1,640 ft), have raised concerns among Merthyr Tydfil council officers.
There would also be as many as 418 hotel rooms, up to 30 lodges and potentially 830 parking spaces.
Developers Marvel Ltd say the attraction has been endorsed by GB Snowsport and Snowsport Cymru Wales, who said they wanted it to be an Olympic and elite athlete training hub.
The site, Rhydycar West, has been used for heavy industry with the remains of mine workings, spoil tips, canal and railway features still on site.
Planning officials say there are scheduled ancient monuments and a Grade II listed building on the site, which is part of the Merthyr Tydfil landscape of outstanding historic interest.
A network of public rights of way crosses the site and into the surrounding area.
A farm has been proposed as off-site compensation for ecological loss that cannot be provided within the site.
In total there have been 141 letters in support of the application and 23 objections sent to the council.
Supporters pointed to economic benefits including job creation, training opportunities and more tourists.
They highlighted supply chain benefits and the possibility of the attraction driving further investment to the area.
The planning report outlined concern with the proposed development due to its planned location, sustainability, scale, impact on the view and ecology and the conflicts with national and local planning policies.
The Welsh government’s design commission for Wales issued a report and said it was ‘unable to support the proposal’, setting out ‘significant and fundamental concerns’.
The council report said: ‘On balance, the potential economic and social benefits including employment creation, significant private investment, and enhanced leisure facilities would not outweigh the harm identified to the important ecological and landscape value of the site.’
But a spokesman for the project previously said officials had spent the time preparing ‘reports and surveys’ and responding to requests from officials for further information.
He said: ‘We have been and continue to work closely with Merthyr council and other stakeholders in connection with the planning application.
‘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.’
The application is due to go before the council’s planning committee on 12 March.