New tourism bid for Ebbw Vale garden festival site

Image source, Google

Image caption, The owners want to build on Festival Park's current popularity as a shopping centre

A masterplan to transform a south Wales valleys retail park into a family activity centre and tourism attraction has been revealed by its new owners.

Ebbw Vale hosted the final UK Garden Festival in 1992, with a shopping centre opening there five years later.

Mountain biking, luge rides, a forest rope adventure, climbing wall and a BMX circuit would be among new attractions.

A cinema, hotel and new food and drink outlets are also proposed, with plans on display at Festival Park from May.

London-based investor GWM Capital bought the site in February, with Metis Real Estate taking over management of the scheme for them, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Image source, Chris Allen

Image caption, The site as it appeared in 1992 when it staged the National Garden Festival

A countryside classroom and community orchard are also in the plans, which will look to reinstate some of the original garden festival exhibits to the 75 acre (30 hectare) site.

Paul Jones, from Metis Real Estate, said: "Complementary leisure activities that can provide a full day out for a family are key to this development in successful retailing.

"At Festival Park, we are lucky to have the gardens from the time of the original festival to work with and deliver a positive overall experience for visitors and shoppers alike."

Blaenau Gwent councillors are likely to consider the plans in the coming months.

The southern end of the former steelworks site - used as the venue for the 2010 National Eisteddfod - has been separately redeveloped as The Works, with a college, hospital and leisure centre among the new buildings.