Thousands of people have signed a petition calling for the re-opening of a long-closed Cardiff swimming pool. Pentwyn Leisure Centre closed to the public in March 2020 and has never re-opened to the public since the pandemic.
Cardiff Blues rugby team used the centre for training before the NHS temporarily took over the hall to use as a mass vaccination centre to rollout Covid-19 vaccines. Refurbishment plans for the facility were unveiled in 2021 and a spokesman for Cardiff council has said the authority is hopeful the long-awaited works "could begin this year".
Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) has run Pentwyn Leisure Centre since 2016 under the brand name Better Cardiff. In 2021 refurbishment plans were announced for the leisure centre as the Blues planned to stay at the facility long-term. The original plans entailed the centre getting a new swimming pool, gym, 3G pitch, and café as well as the upstairs of the building being kept in use by the rugby team.
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Pentwyn councillors Dan Naughton and Joe Carter and former councillor Emma Sandrey campaigned for the re-opening and refurbishment of the centre. Cllr Carter said: "The constant delays are unsettling with weeks becoming months and months becoming years. The Labour-controlled council let Better close Pentwyn Leisure Centre and have still not produced realistic plans to re-open it. It is not good enough that they can spend tens of millions of pounds on a new arena but they won’t fund our leisure centre refurbishment. Delivering the refurbishment of our leisure centre, giving our community the facility it needs, is our top priority and we won’t stop fighting until it is delivered."
A council spokesman said: “Cost pressures being felt across the construction sector have delayed plans to upgrade Pentwyn Leisure Centre but the council remains committed to the project. A full business case for the works is currently due to be considered by cabinet in June and, if approved, the council are hopeful that works could begin this year.”
Members of the Llanedyrn Pentwyn Community Group set up the Save Pentwyn Pool petition which had reached 2,952 signatures by May 18. The petition states: "We need Pentwyn Leisure Centre to re-open so our children can learn to swim and the rest of us can swim and do other activities to keep us fit." One signatory said in a comment: "I live locally and would like to be able to use the facilities."
Cardiff Central MS Jenny Rathbone has expressed hope the refurbishment would go ahead and called for the "decarbonising" of the centre's energy supply to bring utility bills down. “Swimming pools are a vital public health amenity. Cardiff Council needs to prioritise investing in renewable energy to make all its swimming pools sustainable, starting with Pentwyn Leisure Centre." Ms Rathbone added: "It is worth repeating that all public buildings have to achieve net zero by 2030 in line with their climate emergency declarations.”
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