Could Bath Rugby's new stadium be one step closer?

ITV News

2 days ago

For decades, Bath Rugby has been hoping to develop its home to better suit the needs of a team fighting for top spot on the top table of rugby.
That could now be closer than ever after the club's CEO has exclusively revealed to ITV News that the latest plans for the site have received UNESCO approval.
In September of 2023 I was invited to The Rec, which has been the home of the blue, black and whites since 1894, to meet the club's CEO Tarquin McDonald on the day that new plans for the site were submitted.
His energy for the project and commitment to ensuring the long-term future of the club brought a real sense of excitement for the supporters.
The plans included a total overhaul of the dated, limited and in some places temporary stands. They would mean a rejuvenation of the club's home on the side of the River Avon.
On that day, he reiterated that if a potential update of the site was continually blocked they could be forced to move out of the city, something of concern to both the club's hierarchy, players and fans alike.
Generations have seen and heard this before though, as plans to redevelop the site go back years. There have unfortunately always been stumbling blocks.
But now, a new 18,000 seater stadium on the existing site is edging towards approval.
What do the plans look like?
The plans for this site have been amended slightly from the original proposals. More than 3,600 people commented on the initial application in late 2023.
Updated plans have lowered the height of the west and east stands, redesigned their facades and introduced a curved roof.
What has stayed the same is the capacity, 18,000 seats for the high-flying side. An increase from 14,500.
It's hoped however, that it will help secure the financial future of the team. Bath currently pay £1,000,000 each season for the use of the temporary structure of their stands.
There has always been a threat that if development wasn't to happen, the team may be forced to a purpose-built stadium further in to Somerset.
But now, with the club making monumental strides on the pitch, it is very close to being the given green light to make the same progress off it.
A total of 5,000 public comments in support of the stadium redevelopment have been submitted since the original planning submission.
What have Bath Rugby said?
Speaking exclusively to ITV News ahead of Bath Rugby's European Challenge Cup victory over Lyon at the Principality Stadium the club's CEO confirmed that a new home could be closer than ever.
'Look, we're in great shape. We submitted updated plans and at the start of the year, we have literally in the last two or three days, we've had approval from UNESCO's World Heritage, which is so important in Bath, they've said no objection to the designs, which is amazing.
'So we've got a couple of agencies that we need to get over the line and then we hope to get to a planning committee in the next few months and and hopefully we get approval.
'That's what we hope very much will happen. And then from there to really create something very special in the centre above.
'Where we're at now is we've got as a club, we've got amazing coaches, we've got amazing players.
'What we want to do is we want to be able to continue to deliver winning rugby in the center up and really inspire the city and inspire the next generation of rugby players.
'We need a permanent home and we need a bigger home. And the plans that we've submitted will enable us to do that. What we're going to deliver is jobs. We're going to deliver economic growth, we're going to deliver an amazing place, one of the top stadiums in the world to play rugby. And it will secure the long term funding and sustainability of the club.
'So it's a win, win and we believe that we're getting very close to the point where we can think about construction and building that stadium and regenerating the riverside in Bath.'