CONTROVERSIAL plans to close the popular Pontllanfraith leisure centre have been in put on hold while Caerphilly council considers what a press statement calls "new options" for the site's future.

The announcement has been made by the council's interim leader Councillor Barbara Jones.

It follows a sustained campaign of opposition to closure by centre users, and a ruling in May by a High Court judge which forced the council to halt its closure plan, on the grounds that it had failed in its equality duty when making the decision.

The Argus revealed last week that a draft report which was to have been considered by councillors tomorrow, once again recommended the closure of the leisure centre.

And yesterday, opponents of the proposal voiced their concern that it was being reconsidered despite an appeal to the High Court over other aspects of the judge's ruling - which went in favour of the council - not yet having been settled.

But, speaking on behalf of the council's Cabinet, Cllr Jones announced the intention to defer the decision, to consider new options for the future of the site as part of the council’s broader transformation plans for the authority and the county borough as a whole.

“We are listening and responding to our community, and the Cabinet wants to reflect on key issues going forward such as the future of Pontllanfraith leisure centre," she said.

“We are aware of the strength of feeling in the community and we want to respond positively to these concerns. Therefore, we are recommending that the closure plans are put on hold while we consider how the facility fits within our wider ‘place shaping’ agenda for the county borough."

The conciliatory tone of the announcement is in marked contrast to the at times fractious nature of the debate that has raged in recent months over the centre's future.

Last week, Pontllanfraith ward councillor Gez Kirby, and others, were critical of the council's plan to press ahead with closing the centre in the teeth of what was described as widespread opposition.

He said he would urge the council’s environment and sustainability scrutiny committee to reject the proposed closure, but the meeting tomorrow at which the matter was to have been considered, has now been called off.

“We need a fresh start. It’s time Caerphilly council’s leadership started listening to the communities it represents,” Cllr Kirby told the Argus last week.

Cllr Jones' appears to have acknowledged that the council needs to do that in respect of Pontllanfraith leisure centre.

While today's announcement does not mean that the leisure centre will ultimately remain open, there now be a fresh look at the issue.

"We all have a collective role in shaping the future of our county borough and we must do this in partnership with the community," she said.

“We recognise that budgets are shrinking and that the council needs to transform the way it delivers services, but we are here to serve the community first and we must not lose sight of this fact.

"We now need time to reflect and consider a new way forward and we would like to give an assurance to the community that we will do this with you.

"We have an ambitious transformation agenda ahead of us and we need to consider the opportunities arising from factors such as the educational improvement programme, our wider economic plans, our ambitious housing and sustainability agenda, and our 10-year sport and active recreation strategy.

"All this is set against the current financial climate, the need for us to do things differently and the need to do ‘more for less’.

"We will launch our exciting and ambitious transformation plans under the heading of ‘Team Caerphilly’ in the New Year.”