Anglesey and Holyhead Councils have agreed to work together to improve sporting facilities in the town.
Last night (Monday, October 5th), Holyhead Town Council’s Finance and General Purpose committee supported the new partnership and a public consultation, which could pave the way for a £120,000 3G sports pitch at Holyhead Park.
Holyhead Park is the preferred location for the sporting facility, which would be suitable for rugby training as well as football, thanks to a special shock pad under the 3G surface. Floodlights and fencing would also be upgraded as the tennis courts at Holyhead Park are redeveloped.
Holyhead Town Council are also looking at future plans to develop a changing block with showers, extra toilets and new carpark on the site. It also intends to relocate the tennis facility.
If realised, the improved, modern facility would replace the existing Millbank pitch on the Holyhead High School campus.
Flooding issues have beset the Millbank pitch in recent years, despite maintenance work. This has led to countless training sessions cancelled for pupils during school hours and both junior and senior football teams who use it during evenings.
Anglesey Chief Executive, Annwen Morgan, explained, “Last year, we said that replacing the old Millbank facility was high on our agenda. We tried a short-term fix, but it was clear that greater investment and a new site was needed.”
“Despite the severe impact of Coronavirus, our officers have been working hard behind the scenes to come up with a feasible and cost effective project. We’ve done this in partnership with Holyhead Town Council and I’m extremely grateful to its staff and members for their support to date.”
If these proposals are approved, the facility at Holyhead Park would be available to local schools during the day and sporting groups during evenings and weekends.
Mrs Morgan added, “We recognise that many local football clubs have called for a full-size artificial football pitch; and certainly we want to work with them and the community to realise this ambition in the future.”
“We hope, however, that they will welcome our proposals for Holyhead Park and support them as a step in the right direction. This facility would provide a valuable, and reliable, all-weather sporting facility for both for school pupils, local sporting clubs and wider community.”
The Mayor of Holyhead, Councillor Alan Williams, said, “This facility would provide a much-needed boost to the facilities in the town of Holyhead and for our children and young people. We’re pleased to be able to work with the County Council to bring this 3G training facility to the town’s main park.”
“As a Town Council, we have also agreed that part of the process will include a public consolation for the people of the town to give their views on the proposed development. We will be bringing residents more news and updates on this development as we have them.”
In the meantime, both Anglesey and Holyhead Councils will continue to collaborate to move forward with feasibility and design work and source potential grant funding.
Ends 6.10.20