Thirty Years On: Aberaman Still Waiting for a Community Centre, Say Campaigners

Aberaman, one of the largest communities in the Cynon Valley with a population of around 5,000, has been without a dedicated community centre for three decades — and residents say local councillors have shown little urgency in addressing it.

The village’s original hall, which opened in 1910 and once housed a library, games rooms, a lecture hall and even a swimming pool, was destroyed by fire in November 1994. It was never rebuilt, and no alternative facility has been provided since.

Campaigners point out that other communities across the Cynon Valley — including Cwmaman, which has both the Canolfan Cwmaman and the Cwmaman Institute, and neighbouring Abercwmboi, which benefits from a community hub attached to Capcoch Primary School — have retained or gained dedicated community spaces, while Aberaman has not.

Petition handed to councillors

Frustration came to a head last autumn when residents organised a petition calling on Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) Council and Aberaman’s three ward councillors to commit to replacing the hall. The petition, backed by a portfolio of supporting evidence — historic correspondence, feasibility studies, architects’ plans and letters of support — was formally presented to the three councillors.

Residents say that despite being made aware of the campaign, the response from their local representatives has been muted, and that the issue has not been treated with the seriousness they believe it deserves. Some in the community have described a broader sense of being overlooked when it comes to investment, compared with smaller villages nearby that have received upgraded or new facilities.

RCT Council has previously confirmed it currently has no plans to build a new community facility in Aberaman, though it has said its Community Development Team would explore whether existing buildings in the area could be used to support community activities, alongside further engagement with residents.

A visit that brought the issue into focus

The renewed attention on Aberaman follows a visit by Heledd Fychan MS to Cap y Gymuned, a community hub based at Capcoch in nearby Aberdare. Fychan praised the hub’s efforts to support local families — including a summer holiday scheme to prevent children going hungry, a food pantry, and a recycled school uniform and clothing shop — but noted the project is now struggling with reduced funding.

For Aberaman residents, the contrast is a pointed one: a well-supported hub exists a short distance away, while their own community — the largest in the ward — has had no equivalent provision since 1994, and no building has been offered by the council to fill that gap.

What residents want

Campaigners are calling for:

A firm commitment from RCT Council to either rebuild a community facility or repurpose an existing building for community use in Aberaman
Meaningful, timely engagement from all three Aberaman ward councillors
A proper consultation process to establish what residents want from a future community space

For now, organisers say they intend to keep the pressure on, arguing that three decades without a replacement is long enough — and that a community of Aberaman’s size should not be the exception when it comes to local investment.