Work to begin on building new community athletics hub

Work is set to begin on building the first synthetic athletics track in Caerphilly County Borough.

Plans for the community athletics hub at Rhiw Syr Dafydd Primary School in Oakdale were approved by the council in January – and contractors Blakedown Sport and Play have moved onto the site this week.

Building work will now start on Monday, June 8.

As well as a six-lane, 300-metre floodlit running track, the facility will also include an additional area – a fan – for off-field events like high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin and discus.

Two storage units are also proposed which will be used to store equipment associated with the new facilities.

The area inside the track will remain grassed to allow dual use by the school for various pitch sports, including after school activities and sports days.

Building the state-of-the-art track is expected to last until the autumn.

Councillor Barbara Jones, cabinet member for education and achievement, said: “This is an exciting time now the contractors have moved on to the site to start the build.

“The new facility will maximise the benefits of our school sites for the wider community outside of school hours, whilst providing opportunities for our aspiring athletes to train within the county borough.”

The scheme will cost £755,000 and is being fully funded with a Welsh Government grant.

Caerphilly is currently one of six local authorities in Wales without a synthetic athletics track.

Use of the facility outside school hours will be limited to a curfew of 9pm to minimise noise nuisance to nearby homes, with floodlighting switched off by 9.15pm, according to a planning application.

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