The community centre at Penyfan Park in Llanelli is to carry the name of the neighbourhood around it, after residents were asked what it should be called.
It opened last summer as Bigyn Community Centre, after the town council ward it sits in. Penyfan came out as the preferred name in a public consultation, Llanelli Town Council’s Independent-led administration says.
The administration says 71% of those who responded did not think the centre should still be called Bigyn. It has not said how many people took part or what share chose Penyfan.
The 10-8 vote that kept the Bigyn name
The name has been argued over since the doors opened. In July 2025 Independent councillors Michael Cranham and Alan Williams asked for a public consultation and lost the vote by 10 to 8, with Labour councillors voting against.
At the time a petition of around 70 names was asking for a different name again, Penllwyn, to cover Penyfan and Llwynwhilwg.
The council leader then, Labour’s Cllr David Darkin, said Bigyn had been chosen to cover the whole ward and was “not intended to exclude any part of the community”. He said councillors had backed it unanimously, including those who later opposed it.
He also said 70 signatures was a small fraction of the ward’s 4,500 residents, and warned a change could cause confusion and administrative issues.
Independents took control in February
The balance of power has shifted since. Independents took control of the town council from Labour in February, with Cllr Cranham becoming deputy leader.
Cllr Williams had won his Bigyn seat from Labour at a by-election in June 2025, and said afterwards that the name had come up repeatedly during his campaign.
‘Its name should mean something’
Cllr Cranham said: “Our community centre is an important local asset, and its name should mean something to the people who use it and the wider neighbourhood it serves.”
He said residents should have been asked under the previous administration. “This Council has now provided an opportunity for residents to have their say,” he added.
Cllr Williams said: “‘Penyfan’ is a name that clearly resonates with the community, and the consultation results demonstrate the strength of feeling around how this facility should be identified.”
He described community buildings as “places where people come together, friendships are formed, activities take place and a sense of belonging is strengthened”.
The administration has not said when the new name will go up or what the change will cost. In 2025 Cllr Cranham said changing it at that early stage “would cost the council nothing”.
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