Welshpool campaigners for a new 3G pitch in the town will be heartened by the news that Powys County Council (PCC) has contributed £690,000 towards the £840,000 for a new state-of-the-art facility in Llanidloes.
The town has been left shortchanged by the new Primary School being built on the Salop Road playing fields, with campaigners still hopeful that PCC will provide alternative capacity.
A community group has been set up to investigate turning the rugby pitch into a top notch all-weather facility to compensate, and it has received verbal support from PCC, as well as a £100,000 pledge from Sport Wales to get things going. Welshpool Town Council and MP Craig Williams also support the proposed project.
And this week’s news that PCC is coughing up the lion’s share of the tab to build the new facility in Llanidloes could be reason to be optimistic, with the county council seemingly committed to providing a 3G facility in more Montgomeryshire towns.
The rest of the cost will be met by Njord Wind Developments who have committed £150,000, a social responsibility payment for constructing a nearby windfarm.
“Also note the Bryn Blaen Wind Farm community benefit fund will deliver £70,000 per year for the lifetime of the wind farm, which will be invested in the community,” a PCC spokesperson told us.
Welshpool currently has the Flash outdoor facility (pictured), which is managed by Freedom Leisure and was upgraded late last year following flooding. However it is not a 3G surface so not suitable for most competitive sports.
With wetter winters bringing, sometimes, months of inactivity, the community group know it can't come soon enough.