Massive facelift in pipeline for Margam Park attraction
HISTORIC Margam Park could be in for a multi-million pound overhaul.
Council chiefs have started a search for private developers to transform it into a national tourist attraction.
-
Massive facelift in pipeline for Margam Park attraction
They are inviting ideas for sport and leisure, education, retail, catering and special events.
Potential developers are also being asked to put forward proposals for tourist accommodation and corporate hospitality.
"We have no specific proposals in mind," said council head of regeneration Gareth Nutt.
"Instead we are asking developers to consider what the opportunities might be in Margam Park and then come back to us with ideas that the council can consider."
The 300-hectare attraction is already a regional draw and boasts attractions including a narrow-gauge railway, a world-famous deer herd, a farm trail, a fairytale village, lakes, woods and open parkland.
New additions include the Go Ape high wire course, which has been a huge hit since opening, along with the Discovery Centre and a new cycle hire service run by the Friends of Margam Park.
Margam Orangery is a popular venue for functions and Margam Castle was at one stage touted as the home of a national photography museum before those plans fell through.
Now the council has begun a market sounding exercise and says it is looking to attract organisations with a proven track record of delivering prestigious leisure developments.
Council leader Ali Thomas said: "Margam Park is a much-loved destination, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year.
"However, we recognise that there is potential within the park that could further enhance its popularity and provide the county with one of the country's premier attractions and destinations.
"We are very excited by this and are confident it will bring forward a developer that will realise the park's full potential."
Potential developers have been given until January 18 to come up with proposals, with the council saying it only wants ideas that would compliment the unique landscape and heritage settings.
Mr Nutt said: "If we like any of them we will enter into detailed discussions with the interested parties and hopefully come up with some viable propositions.
"We realise this might take some time. We are not looking for a quick fix but long-term, viable solutions."
www.npt.gov.uk/margammarketsounding
8 Comments
View all
by Wayne Morris, Sandfields, Port Talbot
Saturday, September 19 2009, 8:34PM
“The points people have made are valid and I have no dispute with them But, and it is a big but, they count for nothing until Labour are voted out of office at all levels in Neath Port Talbot.”
by jeffery, port talbot
Saturday, September 19 2009, 4:34PM
“Brian
I agree with your sentiment ansd have emailed the council over may years and some officilas will no longer reply. The defender of out town was removed when the tribune was tken over IVORPOINT seemed to have a good insite to the mal admisnistration in this town and I even got to speka to him once and I still do not know who he is . There is no superlative gross enough to describe the way council and its staff have behave over the last 50 years
Did you know the leader does not live in the ward that elected him.
He as from up the valleys but lives in Neath, how can this be and he is one of the people who rule this town.”
by Brian Morris, Neath Port Talbot
Saturday, September 19 2009, 3:52PM
“jeffery, Port Talbot - OK all understood and appreciate the correction for my part.
The fools who designed the M4 to be "highrise" over Port Talbot - must be related to the fools we have as planners in the Council. When it rains in Port Talbot - which is most of the time you can see plumes of water mist coming over the short hard shoulder walls and falling on the houses and people below - you also see when it wet, grey and cloudy - again a typical scene in Port Talbot - the pollution form the steel works hangs low over Taibach, Cwmavon and Margam - so you have a cocktail of pollutants - now the fools in London, Cardiff and Neath Port Talbot want to make this even worse - how bad do they really want to make it - isn't higher asthma, kidney cancer and repertory illnesses enough for the children and residents of Neath Port Talbot? - do they want people to collapse with breathing difficulty - the next thing you will see is Port Talbot being twinned with Bhopal in India!
Where are the legal eagles here to save the residents in Port Talbot - were's the Welsh or British equivalent to Erin Brockowitz.........”
by jeffery, Port Talbot
Saturday, September 19 2009, 3:35PM
“Hello Brain Morris
I can spell my name I have had it for over 60 years and it is an unusual spelling. We both forgot in our comments to mention the M4 and the lack of possibillity to cope with extra traffic. and the extra M10 pollution caused by the extra traffic. I do spell things wrong but not my name”
by Brian Morris, Neath Port Talbot
Saturday, September 19 2009, 1:03PM
“One final point - it these useless town planners are insistent on developing Margam Park - you will need to spend millions on covering what ever you develop there - a bit like the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff - a cover over the development as the pollution from Corus, and the three Power Stations within Corus and the two biomess wood burning power stations at Margam and the huge gas power station at Baglan Bay and all the pollution from Llandarcy and the huge fire and explosive risk of the BOC oplant at Margam - now there are what's already here - oh and don't forget the "WORLDs LARGEST" wood burning biomess power station that will ADD even MORE pollution - don't think these will be included in any tourist brochure do you..........get real and make your mind up either Port Talbot's industrial, filthy and not a place to visit or you need to do something about the pollution - stopping the worlds largest biomess power station would be a start - then you could say you're making a move in the right direction towards any tourism plan.”