Centre closes for revamp (From Free Press Series)

Centre closes for revamp

PONTYPOOL Leisure Centre closes its doors for the final time on October 31 before undergoing an extensive refurbishment. And when it reopens in 2006 it will be one of the town's biggest assets according to manager Bob Pinney.

Around £5.5 million is being spent on improving the 30-year-old leisure centre, which was opened by Princess Alexandra in 1974, including a new swimming pool, changing rooms and cafeteria.

The main aim of the refurbishment is to make the leisure centre more accessible to members of the public, particularly disabled people.

This will be achieved by down scaling the centre's existing 12 levels to just three.

"At the moment if you look at all that is happening in the town things really are starting to happen and the leisure centre is part of that. When it re-opens I think people will find it is more of a centre for the community and not just sport people," said Mr Pinney, who will join a 12-strong project team that will oversee work on the development.

Around 35,000 people use the leisure centre every month. In total it employs more than 100 full and part-time staff. Fears of mass redundancies clouding the project have been eased with most jobs saved through either relocations or staff finding work elsewhere.

However, around ten employees have been left without a job because of the development.

The many clubs and groups that use the centre have been accommodated at other venues in the borough including Cwmbran Stadium, Blaenavon Recreation Centre and Fairwater Leisure Centre.

Pontypool Rugby Club, which uses the leisure centre for pre- and post-match functions, has been in talks with the council about alternative venues and is expecting a decision soon.

The refurbishment is expected to take around 18 months and provisionally the leisure centre is expected to reopen in June 2006.