This is Port Talbot’s £350,000 new Aqua Splash which opens within days.
People will be able to flock to the facility from Monday, when it opens at 10am. Children will be able to have fun in 30 water features, including fountains, jets and 'waterfalls' at the Aberavon Beach attraction.
Families will not need to book in advance for the free Aqua Splash. But spaces are limited to 200 so are being offered on a first come first served basis.
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The old attraction at the site was already a hit with families with a paddling pool and a play area made up of several water jets.
But bosses at Neath Port Talbot Council said “the time had come for a replacement” as the repair and maintenance needed to keep it open for another season had made it financially unviable.
New seating areas and facilities have also now been put in place around the Splash Pad site.
Staff have said they will be keeping an eye on the numbers attending during the first few weeks and will look to up the amount of families who are able to go along if it’s safe to do so. An option to have a ‘quiet hour’ is also being considered at the site following family feedback.
Cllr Annette Wingrave, Neath Port Talbot Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and sustainable development, said: “Over the past two decades there has been major investment in infrastructure and facilities on the Aberavon Seafront and promenade by the council’s regeneration team with help from funders including the Big Lottery Fund and the Green Seas Programme.
“During these years, updated public toilets have been installed, along with railings, seating, lighting and signage, plus two new children’s play areas, a skateboard park and re-designed sunken gardens, making the Aberavon Seafront a major attraction in South Wales.”
Cllr Peter Rees, the council’s cabinet member for education, skills and culture, added : “The new look Aqua Splash will provide local people and visitors with a fantastic family attraction overlooking the sea at Aberavon Beach and will complement the outdoor gym which has just been put in place on the seafront.”
Aqua Splash will be open daily from 10am to 7pm.
