The council has approved plans to resurface the internal uplift track at Bike Park Wales, the mountain biking centre at Gethin Woodland Centre that is a major draw for riders and visitors to Merthyr Tydfil and the wider region.
What is being planned
Members of the planning committee agreed on Wednesday 2 September to authorise engineering works to strengthen and resurface the existing track used by the facility’s uplift service. The uplift uses minibuses with trailers to carry riders and their bikes to the top of the hill so they can ride down selected routes.
The works affect the route which runs along the side of Pen Lan Hill and finishes on Mynydd Gethin. While the highest section — about 943 metres in length — falls inside Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s boundary, the much of the route lies within Merthyr Tydfil land controlled by the borough council.
Scope and specification
The track measures roughly 3,830 metres in total length and is on average around 7 metres wide. The area to be resurfaced is approximately 2.68 hectares. The planned surfacing will consist of:
- 150mm–200mm compacted quarried stone sub-base;
- 50mm layer of a finer grade quarried stone;
- a 60mm tarmac base course and a 40mm tarmac surface course.
| Item | Measurement |
|---|---|
| Total track length | 3,830 m |
| Highest section (within neighbouring authority) | 943 m |
| Average width | 7 m |
| Area | 2.68 hectares |
| Expected duration of works | Approximately five weeks |
Reasoning and constraints
The applicant told planners the upgrade is required to improve the operational and structural capacity of the route. The intention is to ensure ongoing safe access for:
- land management vehicles,
- emergency response teams, and
- recreational users making use of the uplift service.
Work will be limited to the existing formed track; no ground clearance or removal of trees and vegetation is proposed. Contractors have confirmed activities will be carried out during daylight hours only, so no artificial lighting will be installed for night-time works.
Local response and wider implications
Local councillors spoke in support of the proposal at the planning meeting, underlining the importance of tourism and well-used outdoor attractions to the borough’s economy. Cllr Ernie Galsworthy described the improvements as welcome.
“I’m very pleased to see that Bike Park Wales is being improved. Our tourist areas are very good at the moment and it is excellent to see improvements. Tourism is very important to the borough.”
“We have a number of well-used tourist attractions in the county borough and this is one of the really successful ones.”
Another councillor noted the park’s draw. He said there are users of the trail from across Great Britain and beyond and added his full support for the plans.
For residents and businesses in Merthyr Tydfil the upgrade carries a number of practical consequences. Better surfacing should reduce routine maintenance needs for the track, improve reliability of the uplift service through wetter seasons, and make access safer for vehicles attending incidents on the hills. For tourism-facing businesses — from cafes to accommodation providers — maintaining a high-quality trail network helps preserve the town’s reputation as a destination for outdoor sport.
Contractors say the resurfacing will take around five weeks to complete. The council did not indicate a start date in the planning report published alongside the application documents.
The decision represents a vote of confidence in the long-term role of Bike Park Wales within Merthyr Tydfil’s visitor offer, balancing the needs of sport, safety and land management without extending the footprint of the existing track.
