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Councillors in Merthyr Tydfil have voiced their support for a “once in a lifetime” £300 million ski slope development – going against the advice of council officers.

The Rhydycar West development includes plans for an indoor snow centre, tropical waterpark, and activity centre, as well as an outdoor activity area.

The plans also include up to 418 hotel rooms, 30 units of woodland lodge accommodation, and 830 car parking spaces.

Marvel Ltd has submitted the planning application, which covers land to the south west of the A470/A4102 roundabout.

At Merthyr Tydfil Council’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday March 12, councillors voted against planning officer recommendations to refuse the plans. It means the development will now go to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) to consider whether to call it in.

Those behind the project have said it could create 842 jobs when up and running, and bring around £300m of investment into the local area.

The site has historically been used for industrial activities, with the remains of mine workings, spoil tips, canal and railway features still present on site, the planning report said.

There are some Scheduled Ancient Monuments and a Grade II listed building – and the site forms part of the Merthyr Tydfil Landscape of Outstanding Historic Interest.

The site also includes the Cwmglo and Glyndyrus site of special scientific interest (SSSI), the Rhydycar West Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), ancient woodlands, and some woodland which is covered by a tree preservation order..

A network of public rights of way also crosses through the site and extends into the surrounding area.

Blaencanaid Farm has been proposed as an area to mitigate for any ecological loss that cannot be provided within the site. The applicant has submitted what’s called a sequential site search to justify the choice of Rhydycar West as the location for the proposal.

There were 141 public letters of support and 23 objections submitted to the local authority related to the application.

At the committee meeting it was confirmed a further 282 letters of support and two letters of objection had been submitted and there had been a petition in favour, signed by more than 2,800 people.

Those supporting the development highlighted the potential economic benefits to the area, including more jobs, tourism, and investment, as well as boosting health and wellbeing.

Councillor Clive Jones said it is by far the largest application that has come before the committee for decades and he has had more representations of support for this than any other application in 21 years.

However, those opposed highlighted the possible negative impact on the landscape, road congestion, air and noise pollution, and the effect on public rights of way.

Other concerns included potential ground movement and damage to existing mineshafts in the area, as well as the impact on drainage and watercourses.

In recommending refusal, planning officers cited the loss of part of the Cwm Glo and Glyndyrus SSSI.

They also raised concerns over mitigation measures against the impact on the Rhydycar West SINC, as well as the scale of the project – which it argues would cause an “unacceptable adverse visual impact on the landscape setting of the county borough”.

Their report concluded: “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.”

In March 2024 the council received a letter from Welsh Government advising that “Welsh Ministers have been asked to call in the application…. for their own determination”.

The council was therefore directed to “not to grant planning permission” for this, or “any development of the same kind… which is proposed on any site forming part of, or includes the land to which the application relates, without the prior authorisation of the Welsh ministers”.

This direction prevents the authority only from granting planning permission, it does not prevent the authority from continuing to process or consult on the application and neither does it prevent the authority from refusing planning permission.