Main hall to open but gym and pool stay closed ahead of full refurbishment
PENTWYN Leisure Centre will open its doors in March for the first time since Covid hit.
After petitions, meetings and a debate, Cardiff Council says the main hall of the centre will be operational again by March, after some refitting work.
The rest of the facilities, including the gym and pool, won’t reopen as the council is planning to refurbish the centre, but no date has been given for when that work will start or finish.
Pentwyn Councillor Joe Carter said: “It gives the community something back. The leisure centre was our only facility in Pentwyn. To have this back, even in a partial way, is very exciting.”
The centre closed in March 2020, when the pandemic hit, but it has performed two temporary functions over the last two years.
The centre was first utilised by Cardiff Rugby in early summer of 2020 with the squad using the facilities to train while Cardiff Arms Park was unavailable to use.
“It was great to see it being used and an honour to have them here, but we were told that the centre couldn’t reopen when all the others did across Wales because the Blues were there,” said Coun Carter.
The building then remained unavailable to residents as it was used as a vaccination centre from February 2021 until it was wound down seven months ago.
In early 2021, residents of Pentwyn had been promised a £5m investment into the centre following its use as a vaccination centre by the council but this never came to fruition.
Coun Carter said: “Months went by with the centre standing idle, with health equipment still there. It wasn’t being used.
“That’s when our campaign started, we really pushed the questions of where is this work and could we not have a partial reopening of the centre; could the hall be used?”
The latest news of the March reopening means that the council can offer youth services as well as a communal space for charities and exercise groups to meet for the first time since Covid.
Pentwyn Councillor Dan Naughton said: “I hope that youth and community groups are given priority on any bookings. Any cost to rent out the hall should be affordable for local groups.”
Although the main hall will be operational by March, the centre’s other facilities remain off-limits, with no clear timeline from the council in place.
Pentwyn Councillor Emma Sandrey said: “While it’s good to have some space back, many people used the centre for the gym and the pool, neither of which will be accessible at this time.”
No date has been provided yet by the council on when the full refurbishment will commence.
