They've waited years, but do the people of Ebbw Vale even want a Circuit of Wales?

First officially announced in 2011 and in the works since long before then, the 3.5-mile racetrack was expected to be finished by last year.

But that deadline passed without a single foot of asphalt being laid.

A series of roadbumps, including the Welsh Government twice rejecting bids for the project last year over concerns around the amount of public money which would have to be tied up in the scheme, mean the future of the ambitious development is still up in the air.

Although developers the Heads of the Valleys Development Company submitted a third bid earlier this month, which apparently meets the Welsh Government’s demands to require no more than 50 per cent of the scheme’s funding to be guaranteed by the public, whether or not this will get the go-ahead remains to be seen.

While the potential benefits in terms of jobs and investment are undeniable, it would be understandable for people in the area to be sceptical about whether the project will ever go ahead.

Among them is Dai Davies, who represented the area in Parliament on behalf of the Blaenau Gwent People’s Voice Group from 2006 until 2010 and today runs community and cultural centre the Ebbw Vale Institute.

“At the moment, because of the length of time it has taken, there is a lot of disbelief,” he said.

“A lot of people have switched off because of that.

“The need is still there for employment and regeneration and other opportunities.

“But I think people will not believe it until if and when the Welsh Government make a decision.

“But a decision has to be made one way or the other.”

The former MP added Blaenau Gwent and the wider Valleys were currently bereft of job opportunities, particularly for young people, meaning workers were forced to shell out for public transport or fuel costs on a daily basis just to get to work.

“You’ve only got to walk around Blaenau Gwent and the Rhondda and the villages and towns in the area and look at the shops,” he said.

“They’re all either shut, boarded up or charity shops and pound shops.”

He added: “My son is 19 and studying sport science at Cardiff Met.

“At the moment I am telling him to move when he graduates. Why would he come back to Blaenau Gwent?

“But with the Circuit of Wales he could keep his home here.”

Mr Davies said people living in the area had been relying on the circuit to turn the region’s fortunes around and he was concerned it had taken so long for such a potentially important scheme to get off the ground.

“We are not talking about a panacea for all ills, but it is jobs,” he said.

“For our Valley this is the most important thing since the steel works were opened.

“There will always be some people who are doubtful we are ever going to get it, but the vast majority of people will welcome it with open arms.

“The council, the Assembly and the Circuit of Wales should be meeting on an hourly basis to get this done.”

A vocal supporter of the scheme is Rev Geoff Waggett of Christ Church in Ebbw Vale, who said he believed the benefits of the project would be “tremendous”.

But he conceded there was a feeling of “despondency” among people in the area because of the amount of time it had been on the cards.

“There’s no question it’s a good idea,” he said.

“But my frustration is why has it taken so long.

“It’s going to be the biggest benefit in socio-economic terms in 50 years. We will have seen nothing like this since the opening of the steel works.

“And the other things which will come to the area as a result will increase employment even further.”

He added: “My hope and my prayer is that it will go ahead.”

The project also won the backing of the UK’s largest trade union Unite last week. The union’s secretary for Wales Andy Richards said the scheme “represents an important vote of confidence in Wales’ credentials as a prime location for investment”.

“Unite welcomes The Circuit of Wales’ commitment to delivering a high-quality construction skills, training and apprenticeship programme that helps to future-proof the local economy and create a long-term job creation plan that supports the wider South Wales regional economy,” he said.

Speaking after the revised bid was submitted deputy leader of Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council Cllr Jim Mcllwee said: “We welcome the announcement that the Circuit of Wales has secured the commitment of additional private sector finance to move the project forward.

“We also support the normal process of due diligence which will now begin by independent assessors and we will await these results from the Welsh Government in the coming weeks.”

Announcing the new bid had been submitted earlier this month, Wales’ economy and infrastructure secretary Ken Skates, said it would take between four and six week to assess, meaning a decision is likely to be taken by the end of March.

Construction could begin this summer, with 1,500 workers employed during the first stage and a further 800 employed full-time for the first two years. Between 4,000 and 6,000 full time building jobs will be created during the entire construction scheme.