Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water plans to turn the Llys y Fran Pembrokeshire reservoir into a “great Welsh water park”.
The long-term plan is to transform Llys y Fran Country Park and Reservoir, in the Preseli Hills, into a “first class” tourism destination, reports the BBC.
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water submitted plans for the first of three planned phases of work to Pembrokeshire County Council in October. The council’s planning committee have now given the head of planning permission to approve the application, subject to conditions.
The first phase will see the existing visitor centre refurbished and extended. New outdoor activity and information centres will be created, alongside a building for water-based activities.
Permission has also been approved for a bike skills area. This will feature a series of mounds, banks, dips and gravel tracks. Camping and caravan pitches will be created alongside enhanced parking and landscaping.
The wider scheme aims to establish a water park. The hope is that such an attraction could boost tourism in Pembrokeshire.
In 1990, at its peak, Llys y Fran attracted 100,000 visitors per year. However that figure has tumbled over the last few years. Once the new facilities are in place, it’s hoped to attract up to 120,000 visitors per year.
The planning officer’s report claimed the development would make a “positive contribution” to the park. It continued: “The proposed development would contribute to the provision of a strong and diverse year round visitor destination… that would itself have positive economic, social and, more broadly, environmental effects.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-41916231
