PADEL AND PILATES: £3.3m for Neath Port Talbot’s gyms, but Pontardawe’s pool is still £10.8m short

More than £3.3m is set to be spent on leisure centres across Neath Port Talbot, bringing new gyms, a Reformer Pilates studio and the county borough’s first padel courts. The money for Pontardawe’s replacement swimming pool, though, is still not there.

The programme, developed by Neath Port Talbot Council and Celtic Leisure, is intended to modernise centres, grow membership and generate income the operator says can be reinvested into services.

Aberavon Leisure Centre moves first and fastest: a £708,000 investment with work due to begin shortly and a target opening in autumn 2026.

The Port Talbot centre gets a new Reformer Pilates studio, an extended gym built into part of the sports hall viewing gallery, and a new wellbeing and recovery space.

It will also introduce EGYM, smart gym equipment that builds personalised programmes and tracks progress, which the council says will support exercise, rehabilitation and long-term health conditions.

Neath Sports Centre is earmarked for two padel courts on its currently unused tennis courts, bringing what the council describes as one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports to the county borough. Subject to planning approval, they could be ready by spring 2027.

Celtic Leisure also plans to spend around £150,000 from its own reserves upgrading the Neath gym with new equipment.

At Pontardawe Leisure Centre, a proposed £2.1m redevelopment would build a completely new gym at the front of the building, add studio space, and create a hybrid gym shaped around emerging fitness trends.

The council says the scheme is designed to complement longer-term plans for a new swimming pool. That pool, however, remains unfunded: the council is committing £250,000 to progress designs to the next stage while it waits for a funding opportunity.

Pontardawe’s pool closed in November 2022 after engineers found significant structural weaknesses in its 50-year-old concrete structure. It shut for good in 2024 when repair proved economically unviable, and the building has since been demolished.

Last summer’s feasibility study priced a replacement at £14.9m: a six-lane, 25-metre pool with a learner pool, sauna and steam room, built on the tennis courts north of the leisure centre.

Efficiency savings could support around £4m of borrowing, the study found, leaving a £10.8m shortfall with no external funding identified. Today’s announcement does not close that gap.

Early plans are also being developed to upgrade the gym at the Vale of Neath Leisure Centre in Glynneath, with Celtic Leisure saying it intends to improve the facility for customers.

Cllr Cen Phillips, cabinet member for nature, tourism and wellbeing, said: “This investment programme demonstrates our commitment to providing high-quality leisure facilities for communities across Neath Port Talbot.

“From innovative fitness spaces at Aberavon to exciting new sports opportunities in Neath and major improvements in Pontardawe, these projects will help more people become active, improve their wellbeing and enjoy modern facilities close to home.”

Jamie Brown, chief executive of Celtic Leisure, said: “These developments will transform the customer experience across our facilities, helping more people become active, improve their health and enjoy the benefits of modern, high-quality leisure services.

“Importantly, this investment will also strengthen the long-term sustainability of our centres, enabling us to reinvest in facilities and services that support healthier communities across the county borough.”

The council forecasts the programme will generate significant additional income over the coming years, reducing the long-term cost of running the centres.