Wolverhampton Council-owned North Wales outdoor education centre The Towers facing the axe
An outdoor education facility in North Wales visited by schoolchildren across Wolverhampton could face the axe, it can be revealed.
The Towers Outdoor Education Centre, which is run by Wolverhampton Council, needs £600,000 to bring it back into use.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met children during a visit to the centre in 2015
Did you ever go to The Towers on a school visit? We'd love to hear your memories and share your pictures. Email newsdesk@expressandstar.co.uk and thomas.parkes@expressandstar.co.uk
The site, in Betws-y-Coed, saw 18 schools visit during 2018/2019 but was temporarily closed in August last year over health and safety fears.
Now council bosses are considering closing the facility, which has been used by hundreds of schoolchildren, for good – before auctioning it off.
The move, due to be discussed by councillors, has been criticised by Conservatives in the city who branded it as "unacceptable".
Towers opened in 1961 and has seen children from Wolverhampton visit to take part in a range of outdoor activities for schoolchildren and those who have mobility problems.
Closure is one of the proposals being floated by council chiefs, along with handing it over to another group to run, or keeping it.
The last option, however, would see £200,000 for immediate works and £400,000 for structural work over the next few years.
And a further £1.1 million would be needed in refurbishment costs to modernise the building, a report reveals.
A total of 18 schools in the city made a total of 33 bookings to use the venue.
Now Jane Stevenson, MP for Wolverhampton North East, said in a letter to council leader Councillor Ian Brookfield: "I share the concerns of my constituents, and I therefore urge you to keep the Towers open and ensure that all necessary repairs are carried out to allow schoolchildren across Wolverhampton to continue to benefit from the courses it offers.
"It would be deeply disappointing if the council does not agree to carry out the repairs."
Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre, cabinet member for education and skills, said: "Towers has served children and young people for nearly 60 years, and we know that many Wulfrunians will have happy memories of time spent there in their youth.
"However, while the council has worked hard to make the centre economically viable, it has had to be subsidised by taxpayers for many years."
A report will be discussed by the council's cabinet on February 19.
