Football club's community pitches move to be backed by council
Efforts by a sports club to secure land so they can develop new football pitches could be boosted by the county council if a decision by cabinet is approved next week.
Welshpool Football Club has agreed a lease with a local landowner which will enable the club to develop a number of football pitches that would allow the community to access these recreational facilities.
To help the club's efforts, Powys County Council is proposing to provide a grant of £5,500 a year to the football club as part of the council's contribution towards the 25-year lease to secure the land.
The proposal will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday.
Councillor Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: "When the Transforming Education Programme in Welshpool has finished, we will have provided facilities and learning environments that will allow our learners thrive and reach their potential.
"As part of this programme, one of the new schools was built on land that was previously part of Welshpool High School, which was used not only by the high school but also the local community and Welshpool Football Club.
"Although we carried out a site assessment of council-owned land in Welshpool to understand whether land was available to recompense the football club and sports association for the loss of provision at the high school, no land was identified.
"To compensate the loss of this recreational area, I'm proposing that the council provides a contribution of £5,500 a year to Welshpool Football Club for a 25-year lease that will allow them to development football pitches that will be used by children and young people and the wider Welshpool community, improving their mental health and wellbeing.
"If cabinet approve the proposal, the council will provide the annual grant from the start of the new financial year."
Welshpool Councillor Graham Breeze has been pressing the council to find a solution to the problem created by the building of Welshpool Church in Wales Primary School on the High School playing fields.
“This is really welcome news and I really encourage the cabinet to approve this proposed solution. Hundreds of boys and girls have been left without facilities since the Transforming Education Programme began in Welshpool,” he said.
“Assurances were made at the time that alternatives would be found but a solution has not been found. The local schools are also hampered by the lack of football pitches and will be able to take advantage of this new facility once it is developed.
“The junior football club and project leader Paul Coakley are to be congratulated for identifying a solution to the problem and seeking Welsh Football Association support to ensure facilities for generations to come.”
