Popular outdoor centre to close due to costs

A popular outdoor education centre in Monmouthshire will be closed as the council can no longer afford to run the site.

Senior councillors reluctantly agreed to the closure of Hilston Park, near Monmouth, at a cabinet meeting yesterday.

The centre has served generations of young people, providing a range of programmes including archery, forest activities, and canoeing on the River Wye.

Money raised from the disposal of the site will be invested in the county’s last outdoor education centre in Gilwern.

Council leader, Cllr Peter Fox, described Hilston Park as “a jewel in our crown” and said many have fond memories of the site, adding that his children enjoyed their first stay away from home there.

But he said that to sustain the outdoor education service the council has to ‘rationalise’, adding the authority “cannot possibly manage to keep two [sites] going”.

“It’s with a heavy heart, a really heavy heart, because a lot of us have personal memories,” he said.

Cllr Richard John, cabinet member for children and young people, said closing the centre would allow young people to benefit from “a more enhanced service, albeit from one site”.

Cllr John said the ‘viability’ of the council’s outdoor education service is “under threat like never before”.

Last year, it overspent by £116,000, while occupancy levels have fallen and the two outdoor centres have been closed due to coronavirus.

“The status quo is not sustainable,” Cllr John said.

“We need to be able to make a more sustainable service because we are absolutely committed to outdoor education and the benefits it provides to children and young people.”

Cllr John said there are “a generation of residents across Monmouthshire and beyond who have really fond memories of time spent at Hilston Park”.

“But to protect the service, we need to vote with our heads not our hearts, in the hope that Hilston Park will have a new exciting purpose albeit under new ownership,” he added.

Cllr Phil Murphy said it was “a great shame” to close the site, but he said the costs of maintaining it would be ‘colossal.’

And Cllr Sara Jones said she was “very disappointed we are in this position”, while welcoming that money from the site’s disposal will be ring-fenced for investment in the Gilwern site.

Up to eight staff at Hilston Park could be placed at risk of redundancy following the decision, but opportunities for re-deployment will be considered where possible, a council report says.