Stadium Update: Court of Appeal rules in favour of Bath Rugby

Bath Rugby received an early Christmas present, with the Court of Appeal ruling that the 1922 Covenants, thought by some to be a barrier to redeveloping at the Rec, are not enforceable.  

This is a significant step forward for the club, and Bath Rugby’s landlord, Bath Recreation Limited, who joined the appeal proceedings.

The ruling provides the certainty needed to bring forward comprehensive plans for a new stadium at the Rec, and work on design proposals will now recommence.  

Commenting on the ruling, Chief Executive, Tarquin McDonald said:

We are delighted with the ruling and can now focus on bringing forward revised proposals for a new stadium. This is important for the club and the city.

Redevelopment will create new jobs, boost visitor spends, enhance the river frontage and help to provide education and support opportunities for young people who need it most.

Key design changes 

• Overall height reduction of 5.1m
• 550 space car park providing blueprint for electric vehicle usage in the city
• Mature trees retained along riverside with enhanced public realm design
• Enhancements to West, East and North stands which maintain views to local landmarks including St Mary’s Church, Bathwick and the hills beyond
• State of the art hybrid playing surface available for use all year round

Throughout the process, the project team have sought feedback from a broad range of stakeholders regarding this unique project including local residents close to the Rec. In particular, the team have consulted extensively with B&NES officers, Historic England and the Environment Agency along with other statutory stakeholders, and Bath Preservation Trust.

If given permission, the new 18,000 capacity stadium will not only retain Premiership rugby in the heart of the City but provide huge economic and citywide benefits. The development will also create hundreds of new jobs in construction, operations and hospitality and offer a multi-million pound boost to the city’s economy per annum through visitor spending.

Project team

Global engineering and design consultancy, Arup was appointed by Stadium for Bath, which brings together Bath Rugby, Bath Rugby Foundation and Arena 1865, back in 2018. Arup will provide an extensive range of building engineering and specialist technical services.

The appointment followed a rigorous, multi-stage procurement process involving a series of workshops with the Stadium for Bath team. The workshops explored engineering challenges posed by the proposed site, which is positioned in the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage city.

Arup will provide civil, geotechnical, structural, mechanical, electrical and public health engineering as well as ICT, audio visual, acoustic and specialist lighting design for the new 18,000 seat, digitally-enabled stadium. Arup’s team will be led from Bristol and will work closely with the other firms appointed to design the stadium: Grimshaw Architects, Kay Elliot and Gross Max.

Source & imagery, courtesy: Bath Rugby

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