Newport Rugby Club needs new women's changing rooms to handle ‘ever-growing number of ladies’
A rugby club is seeing such a large increase in the number of women who want to play the game that it is making £500,000-plus plans for the future.
But to give it time to raise the small fortune for a new changing block, Newport Rugby Club has lodged a planning application with Telford & Wrekin Council for temporary buildings at its site.
Steve Murphy from the club has told council planners that men and women cannot use the current changing block at the same time.
“This application is to provide temporary accomodation for ladies changing rooms at the club,” Mr Murphy said.
“Currently safeguarding will not allow male and female players in the existing changing room block at the same time which restricts ladies to games only on Sunday afternoon and also restricts training times. “
Mr Murphy added that the buildings are required to make better provision for the “ever-growing number of ladies in the club and for visiting lady referees".
The club official added that the Forton Road club has “long-term plans to build a whole new changing block to Rugby Union and Sport England specifications".
But that is not a cheap plan. Mr Murphy said the proposed architectural schemes for the new block specify a building “in excess of half a million pounds".
They estimate that this will take five years to raise.
“We have therefore purchased two Portakabin buildings to which we have attached an existing mobile medical unit in order to provide a facility before next season starts.”
The temporary buildings would sit on land that is ‘occasionally’ used for car parking o the grass. But cars that are parked there can be “easily be located elsewhere on site.
The application is open for public consultation on the Telford & Wrekin Council planning portal with the reference TWC/2025/0349.
