THE new £6.5m Parc Eirias Events Centre is ready to open next month.
The sports complex, which includes a 6,000 capacity upgrade to the existing arena and the a state of the art 3G indoor pitch and events space, is due to be unveiled by First Minister Carwyn Jones on November 11, followed by an open weekend for the public on the 12 and 13.
Cllr Graham Rees, Conwy’s lead cabinet member on the Parc Eirias project, said the development provided a “great opportunity not just for Conwy, but for all of North Wales”, and stressed its role as a facility for all members of the community to use.
“It’s an events facility with a multitude of uses, from horticultural shows to wedding receptions,” he said. “I think of it as a mini Millenium Stadium.”
The Pioneer was given a guided tour of the impressive new arena this week, which meets the standards required to host international football and rugby as well as providing a home to the Welsh Rugby Union’s North Wales Academy.
A new 2,080 seat covered grandstand offers superb views of the technologically advanced pitch, which features a state of the art drainage and sprinkler system and ten power-saving floodlights offering lighting suitable for HD quality television broadcasts.
The cedarwood-clad multi-use indoor centre meanwhile includes a top of the range 3G artificial pitch, described by centre manager Mally Tidswell as “the best in Wales.”
A plastic flooring system is also set to be purchased soon to allow the 60m by 40m pitch to be covered into a marquee for community use.
The Events Centre also includes an Olympic standard gymnasium, ten corporate boxes, on-site physiotherapy facilities and a wind turbine which will generate 6kw of energy for the national grid, with further upgrades planned for the new year to improve the stadium’s running track and to install new jump discipline facilities.