Bridgnorth RFC plans £1.5 million appeal for move
Bridgnorth Rugby Club today said it was going ahead with its move away from the town centre – and said it plans a £1.5 million appeal to fund it.
It wants to leave its present base at Severn Park and move to Swancote Country Club, off the A454. The rugby club has now formally submitted plans for the site to Shropshire Council and hopes to run sessions for youngsters at Swancote as early as next season.
It is hoped the new site will ensure its long-term survival and provide better facilities for the club, which is rapidly expanding.
In the long term, plans, developed by Wolverhampton-based architects Tweedale, include the development of stands, a club house, new changing facilities, club administration facilities, a gym and outdoor pool.
Club members say they hope to be able to secure grants and fund raise themselves in order to pay for their new, modern facilities.
Ian George, from Bridgnorth Rugby Club, said: "If someone came to us and said here's £1.5 million, get going,that would be great.
"But it is all going to be fundraising and applying for grants.
"At the moment, getting to where we are with it we have spent £20,000 from club funds putting the plans in.
"Even though we are a charity and a community club, we still have to pay full price.
"It could be done in five years – or it could be done in 20 years."
Initially, the club will run both its current site and Swancote simultaneously before a possible full move later.
There are also hopes the plans will see seniors able to train on the new pitch, relieving strain on their current facilities.
The club currently has around 300 youngsters from between four and 12 in its mini, micro and junior teams alongside its five adult squads and ladies teams, with plans to bring in a mini ladies team in the near future.
But Bridgnorth Rugby Club say its current facilities do not provide it with enough green space for the younger teams to use.
Mr George said: "At the moment we have seniors training on it five nights a week and they are used on a Saturday and Sunday.
"At this time of year they are bald and muddy and no good for the juniors.
"We are desperate for extra space."
The club has been plagued with problems at its current site, including regular flooding, which has left the pitches unplayable, issues with the lack of parking at Severn Park and at the Edgar Davies Ground, and restricted access.
The plans were submitted to Shropshire Council in December, and will be decided in the coming months.
It marks the end of a successful year for the club, promoted last year in a season which saw the team unbeaten and reaching a Twickenham final.
If approved, the move could also be a new lease of life for the Swancote Country Club, which police have raided twice in the past few years, seizing a haul of cannabis with a street value estimated at £80,000.
People in Bridgnorth were given their first look at the plans in January 2014
