ONE of the founders of Cornwall’s Eden Project is behind a plan to bring a major tourism attraction to South Wales.

A firm set up by one of the founders of the project is behind plans for a hands on museum style attraction to showcase arts, crafts, science and technology intended to blend learning with fun and inspire understanding of how people can work together to address health, environmental and social challenges.

A prospectus for the project, named Xanadoo, estimates a site in Torfaen could regularly attract 600,000 visitors a year and an additional 100,000 in its first year and generate £15 million in annual revenue while employing 250 full time staff.

It would have four “core elements” as a visitor attraction including a Gallery of Marvelous Solutions to showcase exhibits currently in storage in galleries and museums across the world and a Trading Place market space offering food, locally sourced products and workshops on repairing goods.

Gaynor Coley, who was a co-founder of the Eden Project that opened in 2000, said Xanadoo would be a world class visitor destination with a major environmental and social impact and an £840 million economic impact, over 30 years, which would support more than 1,000 jobs.

One site near Pontypool is likely to have been ruled out but Ms Coley and partner Susan Hill, who also worked at the Eden Project, are currently looking at sites in Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent, but also Swansea meaning the potential benefits for Gwent could be lost.

Their firm, Road to Happiness, which worked with Torfaen Borough Council on redesigning Greenmeadow Community Farm in Cwmbran, is in discussions with the council but Ms Coley has also urged anyone with potential sites in mind to get in touch

Ms Coley, who is originally from Cwmbran, said: “I’m Welsh and grew up in Cwmbran and my partner, Susan Hill, and I think Welsh tourism needs and deserves this fantastic opportunity.

“We believe Xanadoo can do the same for South Wales as the Eden Project did for Cornwall. An economic impact assessment has just been carried out and it has bought £6 billion to Cornwall and the West Country which is more than the whole of European funding and we’d like to do the same for South Wales.

“It will bring sustainable tourism, support hospitality and creativity, storytelling, digital and health and wellbeing.”

The grade II-listed former Nylon Spinners Factory, at Mamhilad Park, had been under consideration but has likely been ruled out as the site owners intend developing it for new housing, despite the most recently approved plans having been overturned following a judicial review.

Ms Coley said she and her partners are “still open minded” on potential sites and “actively looking for sites” in Swansea, Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent. The two Gwent councils have a formal partnership in which they work together.

She said: “I would encourage anybody who thinks there is a location that could be right for Xanadoo to get in touch.”

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