The Welsh Government is funding a masterplan for a multi-million pound wellness village in South Wales.

The Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village is just one of a number of projects being delivered through ARCH (A Regional Collaboration for Health), a partnership between three local university health boards.

Located on the Carmarthenshire coast, the Llanelli Wellness Village will include a wellness hotel, sports and wellbeing centre, wellness spa, primary care centre, and possibly a wellness primary school.

It will also incorporate an Institute of Life Science, focusing on research and innovation; an education centre to deliver training and skills development in the health and wellbeing arena; and a neuro-village with rehabilitation and living facilities for those with cognitive impairment.

“The village is designed to bring together tourism – specifically wellness tourism – health services, life science and wellbeing research and innovation, housing, sport and leisure, and further and higher education opportunities,” said Bjorn Rodde, Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village project manager.

The Llanelli Wellness and Life Science Village aims to transform the way the region delivers care and promotes wellness and wellbeing by pairing health, research and life science with leisure opportunities that help people live healthier lives. It was conceived as a direct result of a Global Wellness Roundtable held jointly between Swansea University and the Global Wellness Institute last year.

“It developed through ideas and innovations discussed during the event,” said Rodde. “The alignment of the vision from all partners is astonishing, and it’s the collaborative nature of our ambitions which has developed the concept with such pace.”

Dr Franz Linser, Global Wellness Summit co-chair and managing partner of Linser Hospitality, who spoke at last year’s roundtable, advised the team early on about the spa concept.

The project is currently in the master-planning stages, said Rodde, but he hopes to begin construction mid-2017 with an opening date of mid-2019.

“The Wellness and Life Science Village is an innovative proposal with the potential to make an impact on the health and wellbeing of residents,” said Welsh cabinet secretary for economy and infrastructure economy Ken Skates. “It is also designed to boost the region’s economy and skills base in a sustainable way, while supporting the regeneration of the area. I am pleased to announce funding for a masterplan and associated business case to take the project forward.”

Other wellness villages are under development in China, Dubai, Latvia and the US.

The Global Wellness Institute recently launched a Wellness Communities Initiative, headed up by Mia Kyricos – who is also president and CEO of Kyricos & Associates, a firm providing strategic guidance to hospitality, tourism and lifestyle companies.