Save Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre from closure!

Caerphilly County Council plans to close Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in order to gain the ‘full capital’ from the land sale, following the demolition of the old school grounds.

The purpose in their proposal is:

“ To seek Cabinet approval to commence the closure of Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in conjunction with the opening of Islwyn High School and support the sale and development of the Pontllanfraith High School / Leisure Centre campus.”

They claim there will be no loss of services, but in fact, quite the opposite is true. Their plans will result in a drastic loss of sporting and leisure services for residents. This in turn, will result in a LOSS OF WELL-BEING in the community, an UNHEALTHIER Wales and is utterly IRRESPONSIBLE.

Their own proposal clearly highlights the following issues with the closure:

- There is no other Football Association Wales approved G3 pitch in the area as the one in Ystrad Mynach is prone to flooding so is frequently unavailable. The closure will result in an end to competitive fixtures in the area.

- The advance booking for the non-approved pitch in Islwyn High, is already booked with NEW teams and clubs, so the existing timetable cannot be absorbed. The closure will result in local teams and clubs having nowhere to train locally

- There is no funding for a FAW approved pitch to be built at Blackwood Comprehensive and if there was, the £500,000 price tag would mean the cost of closing Pont Leisure Centre is almost double the cost of keeping it open over the next five years

- The Centre’s other facilities are heavily used with everything from Zumba classes through to over 50s badminton on a weekly basis, many classes will not be able to move to Islwyn High or it may be too difficult for local residents to get there. The council should be encouraging more opportunities for sports and activity, not taking them away!

In addition, other issues raised include:
- Local residents who use the centre for social events such as parties, classes and other events will have to travel further and in many cases, this will be impossible. This means that opportunities for social interaction will be reduced or removed completely. Many clubs will have to close with the leisure centre

- The consultation process has been extremely limited to date, therefore, the views of the community have not been properly taken into account

The Council has a remit to meet the Wellbeing of Future Generation (Wales) Act 2015, which is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. It requires public bodies to think more about the long-term, working with people and communities, looking to prevent problems and take a more joined up approach.

The closure of Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre in no way meets the well-being goals and we urge Caerphilly County Council to stop the closure.

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