Recreation Ground (Bath) - Future of Bath Rugby Club at The Rec

Future of Bath Rugby Club At The Rec

In 2006 the Rugby Football Union (RFU) stated that by 2010 all Premiership rugby clubs would need a spectator capacity of at least 15,000, at a time when the Rec's capacity was 10,300.

In March 2007 the council trustee of the Rec received a strategic review showing support for the development of the ground by 64% of respondents to a poll (44% supporting development on the current site of the ground). The council trustee wished to proceed with a development proposal that would allow Bath Rugby Club to lease additional land, to permit the provision of a larger rugby ground. The Charity Commission responded that for any such development to proceed they would need to be fully satisfied that any detriment arising to the Rec's charitable objectives from the proposal would be significantly outweighed by benefits.

Various detailed development proposals were made, but these could not satisfy the Charity Commission's legal need to protect the Rec's charitable objectives.

In June 2009 the Charity Commission again granted permission for the club to continue to use temporary spectator seating on charity land for the 2009/2010 season which together with changes to other seating allowed capacity to increase to 11,700.

In November 2009 the new chief executive of Bath Rugby, Nick Blofeld, stated the club was now seeking a mostly seated stadium for 20,000, with potential for future expansion, containing "restaurants and cafés, hospitality suites, conference facilities and good food and beverage outlets and other potential retail outlets." The club no longer ruled out other sites within Bath, and was considering the option of moving to the Western Riverside Development. However by November 2010 the club had virtually ruled out alternative sites in Bath after detailed investigations, so preferred to stay at the Rec, with Somerdale, Keynsham as a second choice.

In July 2010 the Charity Commission again granted permission for the club to continue to use temporary spectator seating on charity land for the 2010/2011 season which together with changes to other seating allowed capacity to increase to 12,300.

In December 2010 the Trustees of the Recreation Ground announced that the Charity Commission "have stated that they believe that the Trust is at a point where it is ready to apply for a new scheme which must be done by 31st March 2011". They also made clear that consultations should take place with Bath residents. In January 2011 the trust delayed the consultation because of "unexpected details that need to be resolved". Negotiations about a possible land swap with Bath Rugby's training facilities at Lambridge are taking place.

The Recreation Ground Trustees held a meeting on 13 April 2011 and agreed to launch the consultation document proposing to put forward a Scheme to the Charity Commission. The scheme consulted on was to swap the Bath Rugby Lambridge training ground for the Rugby Ground at the Rec.

It was announced in the Western Daily Press on 17 August 2012 that "The Charity Commission has agreed in principle to the plans for a land-swap deal, which would allow the club to expand its presence on the city centre site in exchange for its training ground at Lambridge effectively becoming publicly owned."

On 30 November 2012 the Charity Commission published a Scheme to correct the two abuses on the charitable land. The Leisure Centre abuse is corrected by the change in the objects of the Charity to allow indoor activities. The rugby ground abuse is to be corrected by a land swap with land nearly double the size of the Rec rugby ground. The Charity Commission invited representations to their draft scheme within 28 days.

The Charity Commission have stated that they had received 1,868 representations of which 244 objected to the Scheme allowing the land swap. The Charity Commission state that they need to study all the representations before a final decision expected in April 2013. In the meantime Jack Sparrow has lodged an application to declare the Rec as a Town Green The Council have received 7 objections and 18 representations for the proposal. B&NES the local authority have employed the services of a barrister to hear the views of the public and will make a decision by December 2013.