An artificial wave garden has been given the go-ahead in the Conwy Valley. At a council meeting on April 30, planning permission was officially granted to Surf Snowdonia.

“The wave itself will be 60cm bigger than the original Wavegarden prototype,” project director Andy Ainscough told surf website Magicseaweed. “The pool will be 300 metres long and 110 metres wide, providing 18 second rides on the expert wave that runs through the centre of the pool, which is almost double that of the pool in northern Spain.”

Up to 60 waves will be generated per hour with nine surfers waiting at each end on busy days. The waves will travel from north to south and will be surfable on both sides of the central boardwalk – the wave will then briefly pause and run back the other way.

“On busier days the lineup will be regulated by someone in a rash vest standing on the central partition,” Ainscough said. “It shouldn’t be much of a problem, but he’ll be the one to make sure that everyone gets their turn.”

Surf Snowdonia will be built on the location of a former aluminium works  in the village of Dolgarrog, which was built in 1916 and closed in 2007. With the area facing decline, an action group has been set up to encourage the site to be used in an economic way.

Conwy Council Deputy Leader Ronnie Hughes describes the location as “of immense importance to the Conwy Valley”, adding: “It is important that we see it brought back into active economic use in a way that supports the county’s economy in a sympathetic way, yet also brings something new and unique to the area.”

This is a leap into the unknown for Wavegarden and Conwy Adventure Leisure, and it will remain to be seen if Surf Snowdonia will be able to attract the 70,000 visitors anticipated as it is being built in a little-known part of Wales.