We are not planning to acquire Morganstown Village Hall!

Morganstown Village Hall

It has come to our attention that one of the candidates seeking election to the Morganstown ward of Radyr and Morganstown community council has included the following statement in his election leaflet:

"I am also concerned about the community council's plan to acquire Morganstown Village Hall, to sell off the land for development and use the funds to build another facility. More houses, more pollution and more congestion on Heol Syr Lewis".

This statement is not correct.

Here's the background:

• The possibility of building a new community hall on the Mound Field (alongside the football pitch - and as a facility that the Radyr Rangers could also use) has been thought about for many years.

 

• One possible option would be for the trustees of Morganstown Village Hall to sell their site - and use the funds gained by doing so to build a larger, modern hall on the Mound Field. That, however, would be a matter for the trustees - not for the community council. And, in any case, there may be legal covenants limiting the use that can be made of the ground on which Morganstown Village Hall stands.

 

• The possibility of building a new hall was suggested as we consulted recently with regard to Cardiff Council's Infrastructure Ideas List. Knowing that the Radyr Rangers were discussing with Cardiff Council the possibility of building a new facility for the club on the site, we quickly discussed within the community council the possibility of building a new community hall on the Mound Field. Proposing the sale of Morganstown Village Hall was not considered to be an appropriate part of such a project. Instead, we looked at possible sources of grant funding, which could include the National Lottery (grants uo to £0.5million), Sports Wales (no specified grant limit), the Football Foundation (grants up to £0.5million) and the Public Works Loan Board. The council could also seek a mortgage - and even increase its precept to help cover the costs. At the end of the day, however, the council came to the view (in its meeting on 23 January 2020) that: access to the site may be too restricted for a community hall; the site was at too great a distance from the heart of the community; a new build such as this may impact the viability of existing halls - and the remoteness of the site could lead to problems with regard to vandalism and anti-social behaviour. As such (for the time being at least) the decision has been taken not to develop such a project. During our consideration of this issue, we discussed the possibility with the Radyr Rangers and offered to meet several times with the trustees of the Morganstown Village Hall.

In the meantime, we wish the Radyr Rangers well with their exciting project - and we wish the best for the trustees of Morganstown Village Hall with their continued care for their valuable and much-loved community facility.

However, were we right to bring an end to this project? Let us know what you think. Would you like to see a new community hall on the Mound Field, like the one shown below?