Ebbw Vale motor racing track contractors announced

The proposals include an international kart track and motocross tracks

Developers of a proposed £250m motor racing circuit project in the south Wales valleys have named a Welsh firm as one of its joint contractors.

Heads of the Valleys Development Company (HVDC) said Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd of Abergavenny will help build the circuit near Ebbw Vale.

The scheme includes a 3.5m mile racetrack to international standards on a 830-acre (335 hectares) site.

The development firm includes the Welsh government and Blaenau Gwent council.

Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd built the rail link which restored passenger train services between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff in 2008.

It will work alongside the giant Spain-based construction group FCC Construccion, whose work on racing tracks includes the Circuito de Jerez, in Cadiz.

The Ebbw Vale plans were unveiled last November, and HVDC says formal proposals will be submitted to Blaenau Gwent council in November.

HVDC chief executive Michael Carrick said the two contractors had signed a deal that required a "significant number" of the construction jobs to be filled locally.

"They fully grasp the Circuit of Wales concept and how to deliver it and share our vision and passion for making it happen.

"Having seen the work that our construction partners have done in the past, I've no doubt that the Circuit of Wales will be a diamond in the British sporting landscape."

Martyn Evans, director of Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, said: "This is the sort of project that will change lives in Blaenau Gwent, as well as people's perception of the area. We're thrilled to be a part of it."

A new round of consultation in the Blaenau Gwent area begins on 26 November.

Information about the public consultation events can be found on the Circuit of Wales website.