New watersports centre proposed at popular tourist spot

Richard Youle Local Democracy Reporter

A new watersports centre has been proposed at a popular tourist hot spot, potentially with a tidal swimming pool close by.

The watersports centre idea has been floated by Mumbles Yacht Club, which dates back to the 1930s and wants to move from its current base across Mumbles Road to the foreshore.

The plan is for the club to sell its clubhouse to help fund a new-build centre by Verdi’s cafe. The yacht club already accommodates Mumbles Rowing Club and Mumbles Rugby Club’s darts team and the new building would retain and expand this community element, offering a range of watersports to encourage wider participation.

Facing the future

Yacht club commodore Richard Woffinden said many people had learned to sail at the club and that coastal rescue and lifeboat crews had also acquired skills there.

“Our current premises are not able to accommodate people with disabilities, have a busy main road between us and the sea and are very energy-inefficient,” he said.

“We realise that to face the future and thrive as a club we will do best to join up with a wider community of people. Consultation with our members has resulted in a proposal to move across the road and work with the community and city councils to create a new community watersports centre that can encourage participation and maintain public facilities to the benefit of all parties.”

The proposal at this stage is for access from Mumbles Road to an upper floor with a gym and other spaces, and a lower floor accommodating boat storage, public toilets, changing rooms and the existing Changing Places facility. The centre would be run as a community interest company with all profits reinvested into it.

Mr Woffinden said: “These ideas have generated others – such as the idea for a seawater swimming pool. It is a very exciting time and we are open-minded and keen to work with local businesses and councillors to come up with a way of ensuring that people can learn to sail, row, swim and paddleboard now and for decades into the future.”

Application

He stressed it was very early days. A pre-planning application enquiry is due to be submitted shortly to Swansea Council. That would be followed at some point by a detailed application, and funding would need to be obtained.

Yacht club member Kimberley Littlemore is one of a small team which looked into potential future options for the organisation.

She learned to sail there and is now one of the club’s powerboat instructors. She said feedback from the public about the watersports centre proposal has been very positive so far. “We are pushing against an open door in terms of interest,” she said.

Mumbles councillor Will Thomas said he came up with the tidal swimming pool suggestion. It would be located to the left of Verdi’s as you look across the water, but it is just a concept at the moment. “There’s a lot of information out there about the benefits of cold-water swimming, and about health tourism,” said Cllr Thomas.

He described the watersports centre proposal as “a great idea which couldn’t come soon enough”. He and fellow Mumbles councillors Francesca O’Brien and Angela O’Connor are funding half the yacht club’s pre-planning application fee, with Verdi’s paying the other half. Verdi’s co-owner Ryan Hole said: “We are fully behind the proposal and are really excited by it,” he said. “I think it’s something that is needed.”

Mumbles Community Council has contributed towards some early scoping work, and its chairman Dr Martin O’Neill said the watersports centre was in principle a good idea. “Anything that like which increases facilities for visitors and local alike is something to be welcomed,” he said.