The development at Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare, was delivered via Redstart; a public-private collaboration between WSP REI and the County Borough Councils of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Rhondda Cynon Taf. In January 2019, Redstart was commissioned by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) to develop a Feasibility Report; realising the Park’s initial aspirations to broaden its offer for family-friendly outdoor pursuits and, in turn, maximising the social, economic and environmental potential of its natural heritage assets.

As part of the Feasibility Report and to support funding applications, an animated flythrough was generated of the site in its entirety. This comprised five hundred acres of woodland, pasture and moorland mountainside; the largest Revit flythrough tackled by our team to date. RCTCBC saw the benefit of such a visualisation tool and understood its ability to convey the scheme to stakeholders and potential funders alike.

The scheme included an element of ‘new-build’ works to support the introduction of new amenities; alongside the refurbishment, expansion and enhancement of the existing facilities on site. Whilst the design concept has been considered holistically, the project has been phased to correlate with RCTCBC’s delivery schedule and in line with the funding model. Elements included in the first phase of the project, and recently completed, include; a bike hire station and uplift service, specialist mountain bike trails and pump tracks, refurbishment and extension of the existing shower block, the refurbishment of the hotel bedrooms and bathrooms, and an enhancement of the existing play provision.