Legal challenge against closure of local leisure centre dismissed

Nicholas Thomas, Local Democracy Reporter 

The latest legal challenge against the closure of a local leisure centre has failed.

Court documents show a judge found Caerphilly County Borough Council’s decision to close the centre was “lawful”, following a request for judicial review.

The council has tried several times to shut down the leisure centre, claiming it faces a more than £700,000 bill for maintenance and better services can be provided elsewhere in the borough.

However, the council’s various closure plans since 2018 have met stiff opposition from community members, who argued the site was well used and valued.

Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre has been out of use since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, but did reopen temporarily as a vaccination centre.

The latest plan to keep the centre permanently shut was launched in early 2025, just weeks after a judge quashed the council’s previous closure decision.

But this time, the council has come out on top in the High Court, where Mr Justice Kimblin dismissed a claim by resident Micah Jones.

The judicial review was requested on four grounds, including a claim the council had “unreasonably failed to take into account the cost of demolishing the leisure centre”.

Mr Justice Kimblin found this was not a “material consideration” – because the council “was not making a decision which involved demolition” and did not know how the site would be used in future.

Other grounds for the review included concerns around equality, the welfare of children, and the wellbeing of future generations.

The judge found the council had weighed up the impacts of closing Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre – including positives such as the new Centre for Skills and Learning, and negatives such as additional travel times to other leisure services.

He concluded the council had addressed the equality impacts of the closure, and had made a decision “in the general interest of all who live in the county borough”.

Children’s welfare

On the question of children’s welfare, the judge said: “I do not see a difference of interest as between children and any other person or group of people in this case.”

He concluded the council’s impact assessments had identified that children may be negatively impacted by the proposed closure of the leisure centre.

Finally, on future generations concerns, the judge said the council “had all the information which it needed to make an appraisal of likely changes in mode of travel,” and had analysed driving times and distances to other leisure sites, based on the postcode data of residents who had taken part in a public consultation on the proposed closure.

Following the publication of the court’s decision, a council spokesperson said: “The council has successfully defended a judicial review application into the proposed closure of Pontllanfraith Leisure Centre.

“A High Court judge found in the council’s favour and dismissed the claimant’s application.

“We will keep the community updated on this matter over the coming weeks.”