The Leisure Centre was considered to be one of the best leisure centres in the area, in fact it's widely known as one of the first in Wales. It was built from funding provided by Richard Thomas and Baldwins, when the Llanwern steelworks was constructed, built on land donated to the community by local farmer Mr. Weeks and still covered by a covenant on the land by the original donor. However there are moves to change this donation to build upon the land, of which the local residents are ardently opposed to. The Leisure Centre was closed and sold in 2013 to cut costs; the following year the police discovered it was one of the largest cannabis factories in Gwent, housing an estimated 4000 plants with a value of £1.1 million.