Island sport facilities set for major upgrades

ANGLESEY Council has secured grant funding to help upgrade sporting facilities across the island.

A report to Anglesey Council’s Executive confirmed the authority had been successful in its bid for grant funding towards a 3G surface in Menai Bridge and to upgrade fitness equipment at Llangefni’s Plas Arthur.

The 3G surface is to be installed at a tennis court at the David Hughes leisure centre, with the council to pay £8,000 towards its total cost of £80,000, with the remainder from the Wales Collaborative Sports Facilities Group, which includes the Football Association of Wales, Welsh Rugby Union, Hockey Wales and Sport Wales.

Meanwhile, the authority was also successful in a bid to upgrade fitness equipment at Llangefni’s Plas Arthur Leisure Centre.

The project, at a cost of £130,000, will see the authority contribute £90,000 with the remaining £40,000 coming via a grant from Places for Sports.

Officers expect the increase in income this upgrade will generate over the next three years will be enough to repay the borrowing and interest.

But despite recent repairs, concerns remain over the state of another sports facility in the port town.

Recently the floodlit pitches at Millbank reopened after the lights were repaired and improvements made to the surrounding fence and artificial turf.

But locals say a longer term solution is needed, with strong calls for a brand new 3/4G surface similar to the one in Llangefni.

A spokesman for the authority said: “We have made every effort to ensure the works identified (at Millbank) finished as soon as possible.

“Unfortunately, the weather did hamper the works and things took far longer than planned.

“Heavy rainfall is causing flooding on the pitch and, as a result, we expect that there will be periods during the winter when it will not be available for use.”