Rugby club plans set to be approved

The proposal to completely redevelop the clubhouse at Bridgnorth Rugby Club's Edgar Davies Ground is recommended for approval by Shropshire Council's South Planning Committee.

The committee will consider the plan on Tuesday, and it comes after a previous application for the site was rejected last year – over concerns about the flood risk, and impact on the green belt.

The club has been hit by severe flooding in recent years and the latest plan includes a 'void' ground floor to protect from flood water.

A report from Shropshire Council planning officer Mike Davies says that the club is currently coping with a "ramshackle collection of accommodation", which he adds is "clearly not fit for purpose".

The new proposal will see the existing clubhouse demolished and replaced with a two-storey building, with a 'void' ground floor especially designed to protect the club from the flooding which has affected it in recent years.

The building will overlook the club's main pitch and will feature a bar, kitchen and multiple storerooms, as well as four team changing rooms, two changing rooms for officials, a kit store, toilets, a functional room and office space, which will be available to the 10 local groups that currently use the facilities.

It will also have a terrace viewing balcony for outdoor eating and spectating.

Mr Davies' report says that the club’s existing changing room facilities are not provided at the ground, being located off site at The Bull on Bridge Street.

He said: "This is not ideal and involves players having to walk down the access drive from the changing rooms to get to the ground."

Mr Davies report explains how the club faced up to £50k of damage from flooding in 2020.

He said: "The current clubhouse on site is a tired and substandard facility that struggles to meet the needs of the club and its community, with limited space for spectators and players.

"The historic flooding on the site has contributed to regular destruction and loss of equipment and stock from the kitchen and functional areas of the clubhouse.

"Recent floods in 2020 have caused damage in excess of £50k in repair costs of which the club has been forced to use £10k of grant from Sport England and a £10k grant from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to help repair the damage.

"On numerous occasions the changing facilities at the Bridgnorth Rowing Club, some 100m from the site, have had to be used, with players having to walk to the pitch from the boathouse. The need for a new and improved clubhouse and changing facility is now desperate."

The proposals were supported by Bridgnorth Town Council earlier this month.

Club chairman Karen Sawbridge has spoken of the impact the development could have on the club.

She said: "It will make a massive difference to the wider community in Bridgnorth, not just the rugby club because so many other clubs and organisations have used our facilities during the pandemic.

"We also hope a state of the art building will attract even more potential users of the facility."