Bath Rugby Club has applied to keep its temporary stands up for longer while it tries to build a permanent 18,000-seater stadium on the Rec.
The Recreation Ground in Bath | Photo © RogerMechan / Shutterstock.com
The existing structures are due to come down by 30th May but the club wants them to stay up for two more years.
Bath and North East Somerset Council only allowed the stands to be put up for a limited period so a permanent solution can be found.
The club said a legal wrangle with the Charity Commission over ownership of the Rec meant that process had taken longer than expected.
Its plans say: “The club’s current planning permissions for temporary facilities expire at the end of this coming season.
“It was hoped that further progress would have been made on the Stadium for Bath before the expiry of the current temporary permissions but the extended Charity Commission process has resulted in delays.
“No changes are planned to the existing site setup.
“These applications, if approved, will allow the club to operate at the Rec as it does presently for another two years.
“This time will allow for Stadium for Bath to submit their full planning application in 2020 and for it to go through the planning process.”
The temporary stands have been in place for 15 years, with the east stand coming down each summer.
The plans say the structures are still essential for Bath Rugby, whose “presence within the city benefits the local economy”.
Bath Rugby Club is drawing up plans for an 18,000-seater stadium with a 550-space car park under a raised pitch with a hybrid surface.
Chief executive Tarquin McDonald told a media briefing in December the new stadium could be in place in time for the 2022/23 season.
Plans for the venue are certain to be closely scrutinised by those concerned for the city’s World Heritage Site status and about the creation of a new car park when the council has declared a climate emergency and is introducing a clean air zone.
Stephen Sumner, Local Democracy Reporter
