Valleys community fighting to keep historic hospital

Lewis Smith, Local Democracy Reporter

A petition has been launched against the closure of a community hospital as part of wider plans to develop a new health and well-being centre in a south Wales valley.

The Maesteg Community Hospital was first opened in 1914 to care for injured soldiers as they returned from World War One. It was built thanks to the local miners of the Llynfi Valley who donated a penny a week for its construction.

A project was put forward from the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board in 2023 under its Healthy Futures programme to develop and expand services at the hospital, with Welsh Government funding of around £25m.

However, it was revealed in May 2025 that this figure would no longer be enough to cover the costs of redeveloping the existing site which was estimated to be worth as much as £48m.

A newsletter published by the health board in May said: “Unfortunately, the current situation is that the available budget does not cover the necessary redevelopment of the existing Maesteg Community Hospital site, which requires many millions of pounds more than we anticipated to return it to a building that is capable of delivering the modern, accessible and safe healthcare services that the community tell us they want. ”

This means the plan will now focus on the creation a new facility elsewhere in the valley with a potential location near to Ewenny Road, close to a railway station and a number of major housing developments.

The announcement led to local campaigners setting up a petition against the closure of the existing site, calling on the health board to scrap its plans to move Maesteg Community Hospital and reinstate its in-patient wards.

Local campaigner and Senedd Liberal Democrat candidate for Afan Ogwr Rhondda, Dean Ronan, set up the petition as he said many people felt betrayed by the plans which would take away a historic and loved facility.

He said: “At the moment there are a lot of people in Maesteg who feel angry about the potential closure of Maesteg Community Hospital and there is a lot of frustration as we feel we’re not being listened to.

“We were promised the in-patient wards would return to the site, and the historical building that was paid for by local miners would continue to serve this community, but that hasn’t happened.”

Contention 

Independent councillor Ross Penhale-Thomas of Maesteg West said: “The two biggest elements of contention are around provision of community-based beds and the site that will host the new health and well-being centre, whether it’s the existing hospital or the development at Oakwood Drive.

“It is incumbent on the health board to use the first few months of next year to engage with the local community here in Maesteg and to have their proposals properly tested, while listening to genuine concerns.

“I would also call for all information – reports, assessments and financial projections to be released prior to any decision by the health board in order that local residents can come to their own independent judgement.”

Newsletter

In November, the health board published another newsletter after Welsh Government approved funding which enables them to proceed with a business case for the development of a new health and wellbeing centre.

It said: “We met with our design and planning partners at the start of November 2025 and they are working the activities necessary for the completion of the first (of two) business case.

“The first business case process is likely to take until the third quarter of 2026 to complete, with a decision point for the preferred location expected in the first quarter of 2026.

“Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board will review all information available in detail before a formal decision is taken determining which location will proceed through the complete business case process.”

It added: “Ahead of that decision point, we want to engage with as many people as possible to discuss the future of health and wellbeing in the Llynfi Valley, including discussing the site options open to us.”

In a section of frequently asked questions, one asks if the potential move means the existing Maesteg hospital will be sold.  It acknowledged that this is the “likely outcome” if the potential new site is a viable option.