St Albans: Verulamium Park running track 'closes for public bookings'

According to St Albans Athletics Club, the facility - in Verulamium Park - will be unavailable for public bookings from March 31, after the council proposed the closure of its pavilion building and the nearby Abbey View Golf Course.

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A spokesperson for St Albans City and District Council cited "the current financial climate" as a reason for the closures.

According to the local authority, the track will remain available for use by volunteer groups and clubs, and public access to the facility is being discussed with relevant stakeholders.

Peter Poulain, chair of St Albans Athletics Club, said: "The proposed long-term closure of the track building without any plan to replace it in situ, or elsewhere on the site, spells the death knell to the St Albans Athletic track and the £250k recent investment to resurface the track, and huge sum to put the track there in the first place.

"With no building open, there is no incentive for the current providers Everyone Active to put any resources into the track other than the bare minimum required by the contractual agreements.

"This will reduce the income which will in turn increase the downward spiral."

The Athletics Club chairman does not believe that making the public toilets 'track toilets' would be a suitable solution. (Image: Peter Poulain)

Mr Poulain continued, speaking of how the track would suffer with the proposed closure of the pavilion building.

He said: "The track closes completely to the rate paying public March 31, 2023 and without toilets and changing facilities will equally be the immediate end of athletics meetings and competitions for clubs and schools at the track, as the track will not get TrackMark accreditation and the facilities fall short of what is acceptable.

"Although Everyone Active have intimated they may be able to reopen the building for special events/matches this summer that is not a long-term fix.

Mr Poulain claims that the toilets are not acceptable for the use of adults, let alone children. (Image: Peter Poulain)

"The other 'fix' is to close the public toilets to the public at the end of the building and make them track toilets - one disabled, one male toilet and two female toilets in absolutely awful unheated condition with no changing facilities, is not acceptable for the use of adults let alone children."