New shower block for Afan Forest Park
11.12.2006
Plans have been unveiled to build a new shower block at the Afan Forest Park in the Afan Valley.
Horse riding at Afan Forest Park
Mountain Biking at Afan Forest Park
Neath Port Talbot Council has been successful in securing a £60,000 from Visit Wales for a new shower and changing building to be located in the car park area of the Afan Forest Park.
The council has contributed a further £137,000 to the project which will start at the end of January and is expected to be finished by early summer.
Recent visitor surveys at the park have suggested that the activities could be enhanced by shower facilities for mountain bikers, walkers and campers.
It is proposed to place three men's, three women's and two disabled-access showers in the new building.
Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, Derek Vaughan, said, ""Mountain biking is a growing sport and visitor numbers to the Afan Forest Park are increasing year on year.
"With the provision of a shower block it will be possible to attract even more mountain bikers to the Afan Valley especially in the winter months so that the tourist season can be extended which in turn will benefit the local economy.
"One of the main features of the council's valley strategy is to develop a tourism policy for valley communities and this investment by the council illustrates our commitment to taking this initiative forward.
"The Afan Forest Park would make an ideal training ground for the mountain bike activity for Olympics 2012. We will be making appropriate representations to put forward a case for the Afan Forest Oark to become a training ground."
Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Government Minister for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, said: "Mountain biking is an activity with great potential for growth, particularly since the International Mountain Biking Association awarded Wales Grade-A status. However, investment in the basic infrastructure and the quality of services and facilities around it is essential to ensure that we can continue to compete in an increasingly keen global market and increase our market share and tourism revenues."
NOTE TO EDITORS: Visit Wales is the tourism team in the Department of Enterprise, Innovation and Networks of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Afan Forest Park consists of a partnership of Neath Port Talbot Council, Forestry Commission, South West Wales Tourism Partners and the Welsh Assembly Government.