The project at Merthyr Tydfil is one of the biggest and most ambitious of its kind to be announced in Wales in recent years and promises to create 2,000 much-needed new jobs.

Merthyr Tydfil has suffered from huge job losses

But people living nearby are fighting the plans to develop the wasteland site because it involves a major coal recovery operation.

The scale of the development is huge. It promises to create two hotels, a shopping village, a country park, and a multiplex cinema.

A total of 1,700 houses will also be built on the 550-acre development alongside a business park.

There are also plans to move Merthyr's soccer side from their home in Penydarren Park to a brand new 10,000 seater stadium.

But the site just outside Merthyr town centre has been plagued by controversy for years.

Councillors will receive plans on Friday

Neighbouring residents are known to be firmly opposed to developments which could cause environmental problems, and they have successfully fought off a number of opencast mining applications.

They have indicated that they are very much against the latest proposals - because 200,000 tonnes of coal would have to be recovered before it could go ahead.

However the developers deny that opencast mining and would be involved.

They are expected to submit a detailed planning application to Merthyr council on Friday.