Staylittle Outdoor Centre could be saved after Powys County Council said it was considering proposals for its future and said it was open to new ideas.
This evening, the council said it could have “a bright future with imaginative thinking and the right project.”
MyNewtown reported over the weekend how councillors were going to urge the council to postpone plans to mothball the site in order for consideration to be given to its future.
Staylittle Outdoor Centre, near Llanidloes, is the council’s only outdoor education centre. It has been managed by Freedom Leisure since July 2015, but was been removed from the county-wide leisure management contract own order to generate annual savings of more than £130,000.
Cabinet Member for Leisure, Councillor Rachel Powell said: “Closing Staylittle was not an easy option but it was the only action available to the council at the time. Funding pressures on the service meant that decisive action had to be taken and attempts find alternative operators had proved unsuccessful.
“While we received expressions of interest, business plans and proposals presented to the council were not strong enough to give the necessary confidence that the centre had a viable future.”
This evening it said it would consider ways to keep it open.
Cabinet Member for Property, Councillor Phyl Davies said: “The council will continue investigating all avenues to ensure the centre has a viable and sustainable future. Discussions are already taking places within different services areas and we will take those discussions further afield to give the centre the best possible future.
“Staylittle is an important asset in a wonderful location and we believe that with the right approach, imaginative thinking and a sound business model it could have a bright future. We will work with any organisation, private or public, to investigate possible options for its long-term future.
“We are determined to make the best possible use of the facility for the residents of Powys, but, whatever plans are considered they have to be robust and demonstrate that the centre has a long and sustainable future.”
