Members of Bridgend Council have agreed to sign off on the 35-year lease of a Bridgend football ground along with funding to help the local team develop a new pavilion. Llangenior FC, who are said to have a long-standing history with football in the Bridgend area, are based at Llangeinor Playing Field and currently have nine active football teams which range from children’s age groups to adults.
Following a meeting of Bridgend Council’s cabinet in July, the group will now be given a long-term lease on the local playing field and pavilion for 35 years under the authority’s Community Asset Transfer scheme. They will also be awarded around £150,000 of council funding which will be used alongside £280,000 from the Cymru Football Foundation to help them demolish and re-build the existing pavilion which was closed due to its poor condition.
The report read: “The club wish to complete the proposed 35-year lease for the wider site which will enable them to demolish the existing pavilion, which is not currently operational, and replace it with a modern, fit for purpose, building subject to cabinet approving their funding application.”
It added that the club could also look to develop the playing field further in the future, subject to additional funding being secured, as part of their aim to provide a pitch and pavilion that will be “both attractive to existing and new users and designed for efficient and convenient operations for all”.
After questions from members, officers at the meeting acknowledged that without the transfer and funding, along with the additional funding levered from the Cymru Football Foundation, the facility would likely remain closed. Following unanimous approval, members also asked for a report on the future of the council’s Community Asset Transfer Fund – which has given out around £1.7 million worth of funding to date – so they could look at helping more groups who had applied for similar schemes moving forward.