The longest alpine rollercoaster in the UK could be built in Caerphilly if the UK Government approves the council's plans. The £12 million scheme proposes to deliver new and enhanced visitor attractions at Cwmcarn Forest and the nearby canal, including plans for the huge 'Alpine Coaster' ride.
The plan is one of three regeneration projects totalling £80.6 million set to be submitted to the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund by Caerphilly council. The remaining plans include a new £33.6 million "state-of-the-art" leisure centre on land at Caerphilly Business Park, which will replace the town's existing facility. A £35 million public transport interchange is also proposed at the heart of Caerphilly town centre, which will see the redevelopment of the existing station into an "exemplar mixed-use transport hub".
The three regeneration projects totalling £80.6million are set to be submitted to the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund by CCBC. The council’s cabinet will meet next week (Wednesday, June 29) to consider a report which details the bids and their benefits to the community.
Leader of council, councillor Sean Morgan said: “If approved, these bids would provide huge benefits in terms of improved health and well-being, better public transport connectivity and enhanced visitor attractions that will help boost the local economy. These exciting proposals demonstrate our vision and ambition to deliver major projects that will regenerate our communities and result in positive change for local residents.”
Councillor Jamie Pritchard, deputy leader of the council added: “We have to move as fast as we can to drive the county borough forward. The new cabinet has been working around the clock on these proposals to ensure we meet the tight deadline for submissions. These projects are big news for the county borough and if cabinet agrees the bids, they will then be submitted to the UK Government.”
“These bids into the Levelling Up Fund are ambitious, but are fully thought through and developed. We hope the UK Government shares our vision for the county borough. If agreed, the projects would need to be delivered by March 2025, so it is clear that this Levelling Up Funding provides an exciting, but challenging opportunity to secure money to support our ambitious regeneration strategy.” You can get more Caerphilly news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
The UK Government has recently published details on round two of their Levelling Funding (LUF) programme. Wales is expected to receive 5% of the £4.8bn budget which equates to £240 million. To date £120 million has already been allocated to round one projects in Wales.
READ NEXT:
-
Man arrested in Pakistan 27 years after Welsh market trader killed in shooting
-
Wales' largest castle to be transformed into major tourist attraction with new visitor centre
-
Four-year-old girl 'terrified' after falling down ten feet deep sewer pipe in pub garden
-
Massive swarm of bees appears in woman's garden as family scared to leave home
-
The thriving town shopping street that's bucking the trend of high street decline
