A FORMER diving centre and a hotel which has stood dilapidated opposite Tintern Abbey for years are part of an extensive development project spearheaded by an underwater technology firm.

The project has been undertaken by DEEP - a firm which specialises in underwater technology such as submersibles and training the people who use it.

Mock-ups on their website show they manufacture what appear to be living or working quarters which are designed to be located on the sea floor.

Now, the former site of the NDAC (National Diving and Activity Centre) near Chepstow and the Abbey Hotel in Tintern have become part of their latest endeavour.

The National Diving & Activity Centre opened in 2003 and, as well as diving, catered for adrenaline junkies looking to try out bungee jumps and a zip wire.

During its tenure near Chepstow, the centre has hit the headlines on a number of occasions due to diver deaths, such as the case of a woman in 2014 who died while using, her own, sub-standard breathing equipment at the centre.

It closed for good back in 2022.

Locals and those passing the site will have noticed that in recent months there has been a lot of work going on.

Now it appears that that work has been undertaken by DEEP - who have, on their website, branded the site their base for "combining in-water infrastructure, on-water equipment and shore-side facilities".

Now named DEEP Campus, they say it will be "the world’s most capable facility from which to design, manufacture, assemble, trial and test subsea equipment, and to train the people who will use it".

A project timeline posted on the DEEP website also mentions the Abbey Hotel in Tintern as 'DEEP owned'.

Back in February, we reported that the long-dilapidated hotel's future looked positive after a buyer was found.

The Abbey Hotel, in Tintern, used to be one of the most prominent buildings in the Wye Valley village before it was left to rot for almost 10 years behind hoardings.

The hotel was originally known as the Beaufort Hotel before being renamed in 2002.

Parts of the building are believed to date back to 1206 when it was inside the original precinct wall of Tintern Abbey.

Now, hope could be on the horizon for the site, with DEEP saying it will "soon be providing comfortable accommodation for Campus users".