New Bridgnorth rugby clubhouse backed by town council

The proposal for the facility has been supported by Bridgnorth Town Council – a final decision will be taken by Shropshire Council in the new year.

A previous plan for the club, which included two buildings, was refused, and has since been revised and resubmitted.

Club chairman Karen Sawbridge said that she was delighted the plan had gained the support of the town council.

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."

The 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.

A statement from Bridgnorth Town Council said: "The decision to support the application, at a meeting open to the public at the Castle Hall, Bridgnorth, was unanimous. Bridgnorth Town Council’s decision will now be considered by the Shropshire Planning authority.

"Councillors debated the merits of the application in front of a relatively large audience of members of the public.

"The debate centred around the competing demands of protecting the green belt, the flooding issues that regularly arise in the area of the rugby club and Severn Park and the improvement of the facility for the club users and the wider community."

It added: "Councillors noted that other agencies including the Environment Agency had proposed conditions on the development to mitigate the risk of flooding, encroachment on the green belt and potential of noise nuisance to neighbours.

"In general, the councillors agreed that should those conditions be imposed as part of any approval for the application then they would support it. Councillors also agreed that their support should be qualified by accompanying comments."

A planning statement submitted by RCA Regeneration on behalf of the club outlined the reasons behind the drive to modernise the facilities – saying the requirement for improvements is "desperate".

It states: "In its current state, the Bridgnorth Rugby Clubhouse is a tired and substandard facility that struggles to meet the needs of the club and its community, with limited space for spectators and sports teams.

"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 many 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 planning statement outlines how the new building will be created, if approved by Shropshire Council.

It states: "It is proposed to demolish the existing pavilion, remove the marquee and also demolish the canoe store.

"The total existing footprint of these buildings is 498 SqM."

"The proposed clubhouse would have new footprint of 630 SqM, representing a modest 26 per cent increase from the existing floor area and would take a more central location, closer to and overlooking the main Bridgnorth Rugby Club pitch.

"The building will comprise of two storeys with a shallow mono-pitch roof at a maximum height of seven metres at the east pitch side, and 5.5 metres at its west towards the riverside.

"The ground floor of the building will be a void, raising the building entirely from the ground, to mitigate the development’s contribution to flooding, protecting both the contents of the clubhouse and improving the drainage and run-off across the entire site."

The plans will see the existing vehicle access maintained from Bandon Lane, part which will be resurfaced, while a new 76-space car park laid out on a permeable surface will be built to the north and west of the proposed clubhouse – on the site of the existing clubhouse.