Issue - meetings

To present the report of the Interim Head of Regulation and Economic Development.

It was resolved to recommend to the Executive that the sale of the Llangefni Golf course land be delayed to allow consideration to be given to options for incorporating the land in part or in full within the Joint Local Development Plan when the Plan is reviewed, and that in the meantime the Ffridd property be marketed for sale on the open market and the proceeds of sale reinvested in the Plas Arthur Leisure Centre.

The report of the Interim Head of Service (Regulation and Economic Development) on the options for the future of the Llangefni Golf Course following formal consultation was presented for the Committee’s consideration. The consultation outcome report detailing the submissions received and the Council’s response was appended.

Councillor Carwyn Jones, Portfolio Member for Major Projects and Economic Development provided background information to the Llangefni Golf Course highlighting that the facility was operating at a loss of around £28k per annum prior to its closure which the Council had to subsidise. The Executive in May 2018 endorsed in principle the intention to dispose of the Golf course and reinvest the proceeds in Plas Arthur Leisure Centre. The process has taken time and as with all other facets of society has been disrupted by Covid-29. Anglesey is well provided for in terms of golfing provision and the driving range facility in Llangefni which reopened in January 2019 under Golf Môn is proving very popular and successful and will remain open.

Councillor R.G. Parry, OBE, FRAgS, Portfolio Member for Highways, Waste and Property referred to the transfer in February 2015 of the management and responsibility for the golf course to Llangefni Partnership, a social enterprise in the town which after a review of the facility’s  financial performance  and an independent feasibility study, decided that it was unable to make the facility work financially in the long run whereupon the course was handed back to the Council and was subsequently mothballed.

The Interim Head of Service (Regulation and Economic Development) referred to the context confirming that following the Executive’s previous decision in 2018 to endorse in principle the disposal of the Golf course, the Service has been considering options for its its future. Participation figures have reduced and the running costs have become unsustainable. The Council is under a duty to consider the impact of a proposed disposal of playing fields on the health and wellbeing of a local community, to consult with the community and relevant consultees and to consider any representations made. Accordingly the Council undertook a formal consultation process between  12 October, 2020 and  30 November, 2020 and this was carried out in accordance with Regulation 5 of the Playing Fields (Community Involvement in Disposal Decision) (Wales) Regulations 2015.

The Economic Development Manager confirmed that in order to prepare for the public consultation external solicitors were commissioned to provide guidance and assistance to ensure full compliance with the Playing Fields Regulations 2015. Between October 2019 and March, 2020, Officers completed all formal site and press notices, a comprehensive and detailed consultation report, all supporting reports and impact assessments and also ensured that all internal ICT platforms were fully compliant.

Councillors Nicola Roberts and Dylan Rees spoke as Local Members and acknowledged that it was a difficult situation for them locally in that no one wanted to see the loss of an asset, but accepted that dwindling participant numbers at Llangefni Golf Course in recent years had made the facility unviable. They  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4