Sadness at ‘unacceptable’ closure of Abergele Community Centre

The council cited heating costs and cost-cutting as the reason for its decision, with the Grade II listed building to now go through CCBC’s asset disposal process.

This will involve the council considering alternative uses and/or disposal to secure the future of the building, which was formerly the home of Abergele Youth Club.

If no alternative use is found, permission will be sought to place the property on the open market.

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Petition set up by MS to save ‘much-loved’ Abergele Community Centre

David Jones, MP for Clwyd West, the constituency in which the centre is situated, said: “It is a great pity that such an important community asset is to be sold when so many local organisations are keen to continue using it.

“I fully support the efforts of the Abergele Conservation Trust to find a way of retaining the centre for public use.

“I am also in touch with Abergele Town Council on the issue.”

Darren Millar, Clwyd West MS, had set up a petition in a bid to save the centre from closure.

This garnered more than 1,000 signatures, while Mr Millar also requested a meeting with the CCBC leader, Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, and urged the council to reconsider.

He said: “I was very disappointed to learn of CCBC’s plans to close this much-loved building, which is in a prominent location in the town and is an important part of our local heritage.

“It is unacceptable that the decision was taken without any prior engagement with local stakeholders, including groups using the building or key elected representatives.

“At that meeting with the leader, it was made clear that the decision had been made on financial grounds, and that it would be implemented.

“So, I then wrote to Abergele Town Council to ask members to consider taking the building on to safeguard its future as a local community asset.

“It is as a result of this request that the matter was then discussed by the town council this week.

“I am yet to receive a formal response from the town council, but it would appear that they are sympathetic to the plight of the building and are now exploring how this may be done.”

Abergele Town Council discussed the future of the community centre at its meeting on Thursday (September 28).

It is understood that the intention is for a report to be presented to CCBC’s cabinet in mid-October, setting out the options for the future of the community centre.

Due to its status as a listed building, demolition is not currently an option.

CCBC described the property as a “large, ageing building in need of repair”.

Abergele Youth Club has relocated to the Canolfan Dinorben Family Centre, which Cllr Julie Fallon, cabinet member for education said has “strengthened the youth provision offered in the area”.

She said that this “ensures that our youth service budget is spent on youth activities, rather than maintaining an old building that needs significant investment to bring it up to modern standards”.

Cllr Fallon added: “Unfortunately, bookings for the building haven’t returned to the same level as before COVID, which has also had a financial impact on the service trying cover the building’s annual running costs.”

A number of community groups had still been using the building, but only parts of the property are used, and for about one-third of the available time.

The groups concerned have been notified and advised of alternative facilities in the area.

In 2020, it was calculated that £1million would be needed to bring the building up to modern day requirements.

The income currently generated from community use of the building is just £11,000, one-third of its annual running costs of £33k.

Lighthouse Baptist Church, which has used the centre’s facilities for more than 20 years, described its closure as “very disappointing news”.

In an email to Abergele Town Council, it said: “I believe our church makes a valuable contribution to the local community, but also that the town of Abergele while suffer greatly if this central community space in town is lost.”