Will The Protesters Wreck Things For Bath Rugby?

Rec Plans
By Glen Leat
July 3 2002

So here we are in July 2002 awaiting the outcome of a decision by the legal boffins about the future of whether Bath Rugby will continue playing at the Rec. Premier clubs have to have a ground capacity of 10,000 in the near future so our club must be more than a bit concerned over the outcome.

Looking back through the ERE archive I discovered that we last covered this item in July 2000. As you will see from the extract of that article (below) we thought we were home and dry(sic) but may be we all counted our chickens a little too early!

"The Local Authority have finally granted permission for the redevelopment of the home of Bath Rugby, the Recreation Ground. For many years the Recreation Ground has been considered by Bath fans as inadequate for their purposes and by visiting fans to be a total joke.

Well at last the followers of Bath Rugby can see their dreams of a stadium, which is fitting for the most successful modern-day club side in the land, finally come true.

Local Bath fan Harley Quin has had much to say on this issue in the past and today he commented, "This is a great day for Bath Rugby fans but, as my old dad used to say, "I'll believe it when I see it!" There are too many powerful opponents in this City who want to see this development disappear without trace and so I'll not get too excited just in case this agreement falls apart."

There is no doubt that there is huge opposition to the scheme, with many citing increased traffic, rowdy behaviour and the spoiling of a green field site in the City centre and these people will continue with their campaign to stop the development. However the Local Authority has been keen for some time to meet the needs of Bath Rugby and their footballing neighbours Bath City and this desire may just be strong enough to overcome the opposition.

Little detail is known yet of the plans but the annual Somerset CCC Festival has to be in doubt."

At the time of the above article many Bath fans had quite a bit to say about the future of "their" ground and I have reproduced some of the views expressed two years ago because they are as valid today as they were then.

I see that the Luddites are out in force over the proposed new stadium. If some of them had been around at the time, then I expect that they would have objected to the building of the Roman Baths, Abbey, Pulteney Bridge, Royal Crescent etc as “they will ruin the view”. However I do agree that integrity of the architecture must be preserved. But Bath is a living city not a museum and the stadium design should complement and be in sympathy with its surrounding architecture (although as a replacement for the hideous Sports Centre it does not have much to beat). The Rec is a seriously underused public amenity - you can go there midweek during the day and you are the only one there. No doubt the County Cricket Club would be more than happy not to have to play there. I think that this project provides a great opportunity to improve public amenities and product something of which the people of Bath can be proud.

Mike - Southampton

I pray that the wishes of the FEW do not dictate the council's decision. It may well be from a biased point of view, but I cannot see why certain people fail to appreciate a club which has achieved the sublime. A European Cup, countless leagues and even more cups. Add to that a great number of International players - including, Matt Perry and Jerry Guscott born and bred in the City. Living examples (bar the odd ball of string) of what Bath can offer the world.

Ultimately, if the plans are blocked, it will be a result of small-minded, selfish, and the wishes of, dare I say it, people NOT from Bath.(i.e. from what I hear, come here for their retirement) And it will also signal the end of a glorious 20 years.

Ed King

As someone who lives 70 yards from the gates of Bath Rugby, overlooking the Rec, I believe my wife and I would be affected more than most. In my view the plans are excellent and deserve to proceed in an orderly manner. The moaners and groaners ignore the enormous publicity Bath Rugby brings to the City, said to be worth millions of pounds each year. I consider the new Spa Baths are a monstrosity but I recognise the benefits it will bring to Bath as a whole.

In like manner, the new proposed stadium would enhance the image of Bath and attract even more publicity, and in doing so , wealth to the area. Do these complainants actually want the temporary stands to remain and the hideous Sports Centre to continue to blight the centre of this beautiful city? Let the opposition come out of the woodwork. I am sure a petition(s) could be put together, if needs be, that would dwarf the opposition and reveal a swingeing majority from the people of Bath in favour of the new development.

Chris McGinn

As a Bath resident, I am very proud of the City, of its heritage, architecture, setting, shopping centre, and Rugby club. I am not terribly proud of its traffic congestion, modern buildings, overpriced accommodation and the apparent lack of imagination of any city planners since the beginning of the last century. It is obvious that any solution is going to be a compromise. To be successful, however, needs everyone involved to take a broad view. The design team must take as many issues as possible and integrate them into the solution. Let's look at the major objections to developing the Rec:

1. The view. It won't spoil the view. The view is already spoiled. If we can remove the hideous assemblage of the temporary stands, clubhouse, teachers stand, the abominable sports centre and the pavilion, and replace them with something which looks like a well designed, integrated facility, then it is an improvement. The key is to design a facility that is in keeping with its surroundings. Look over the river and see what I mean. The Podium is in keeping with its surroundings, the Hilton is not. What we want is a Bath Coliseum. Something that future generations can be proud of. When was the last time we built something like that in Bath?

2. Use of the Recreation Ground by the people of Bath. How many objectors who use this argument regularly use the Rec, other than as a dog's toilet, and would be denied that use after the new sports facility was built? Some objectors seem to have overlooked the fact that there will be more space for picnics, ball games etc, not less.

3. The cricket festival. Once a year, and it's a fabulous setting, but if it rains it loses money, and it attracts less people that one full house Saturday at the rugby club. Move it to the cricket club, or the racecourse.

4. Traffic congestion. The Rec is an easy walk from the train station. No alternative suggestions are. Any other site will increase traffic even more. Let's increase the attractiveness of Park and Ride. Move the Training ground to the racecourse and put a park and ride at Lambridge. Make it affordable, and use electric or low-emission vehicles to carry people in and out, instead of noisy and smelly diesel buses. There's a Bath company that makes electric vehicles. Bring them into the planning process.

5. Loss of the Pavilion. Knock it down before it falls down. Temporary decking and a canvas roof and we've got the biggest covered facility in the West. Design it in.

6. We don't like rugby. Sorry, but Bath are the most successful team in the country. We should all be proud of that. Rugby fans like coming to Bath, it's a nice city. Rugby fans also eat, shop, visit the galleries, museums etc. Some, like me, have even been known to move here. Move the club out of the city and you move the visitors out too.

7. Empty the Rec and give it back to "the people" - who will, myself included, walk past it, round it and over it if the dog needs to be emptied. Surely we should be making something of it, such as a focal point for sports and recreation? Some correspondents appear to believe that supporters of the City's sports teams are not included in "the people of Bath". We are, and we do care about our city. We also voted overwhelmingly to keep Bath Rugby at the Rec. That is Andrew Brownsword's mandate from the supporters. Don't take it out on him personally.

The Recreation ground development really offers the chance to do something wonderful in Bath. I firmly believe that sympathetic architecture is the key. To achieve that requires the determination to look at the potential benefits and then actively exploit them. Is there anyone in local government with the breadth of vision to manage that? Perhaps that is the biggest problem.

Rick Donaldson