NORTH Wales’ first cycling velodrome looks increasingly likely to be built in Ruthin.

Welsh Cycling, the sport’s parent body, has chosen the Denbighshire town as the preferred location for the development after the town council lodged an expression of interest last autumn.

Now the authority has obtained a grant from the rural enterprise agency Cadwyn Clwyd to engage consultants to draw up a feasibility study for the project.

Last year Welsh Cycling said an open-air velodrome was needed in the north to fill a void as there is already such a facility in Carmarthen in addition to the national indoor centre in Newport.

Many track cyclists in the north who want to use a velodrome, which also provide a traffic-free facility for cycling lessons and clubs, have to travel across the English border to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester.

It would be a 330-metre banked track, possibly with ancillary facilities such as a cafe and offices. The estimated cost is about £1.3m.

The town council considered four possible sites before opting for land at Glasdir, between the town’s football ground and the new schools, Ysgol Penbarras and Rhos Street Primary School.

The land is owned by Denbighshire County Council, which is backing the project, and one of the criteria laid down was that to make it sustainable it should be linked to existing sports facilities. It is envisaged that the schools would make use of it.

Town Mayor Cllr Gavin Harris said there was a strong case for the development to be located in the town, with the Marsh Tracks cycling circuit in Rhyl to the north and Llandegla Forest, one of the country’s top mountain-biking venues, to the south. Last year the Welsh road-racing championships were held in Ruthin.

“There are 15 cycling clubs within 15 miles of Ruthin, more than anywhere else in the area,” he said.

In its official documents inviting expressions of interest Welsh Cycling stated that the design should be “as inclusive and welcoming as possible.

“We would like to develop a velodrome that caters for competitive cycling but at the same time designed in such a way as to not intimidate the enjoyment of recreational cyclists.”