London Irish pledges to consult Sunbury folk

Aug 28 2009 By Adam Courtney

London Irish rugby club has promised to fully engage residents ahead of its proposed multi-million pound move across Sunbury.

The relocation, from its current headquarters in The Avenue to the Hazelwood Golf Centre in Croysdale Avenue, would mean a new housing development in The Avenue in order to fund a £12m move and will go ahead subject to planning permission after a deal was struck with the golf club.

But the club, which plays its matches in Reading, promises the project will be "sympathetic" because of its desire to leave a "legacy" in the village, and pledges its plans will be flexible in order to meet residents' expectations.

Speaking exclusively to the Herald & News ahead of a forthcoming public exhibition in just under a fortnight, director John Conlan said: "We will not over develop. We will work within local guidelines and will provide double the amount of open space required. Our plans are flexible and we are going to fully consult residents.

"We will be sympathetic to the village because it has been our home for 80 years and we want to leave a legacy here."

To outline it's commitment to neighbours, Mr Conlan pointed to the fact the club has already agreed to keep an extra 18% of land at The Avenue free from building, following initial consultations.

He promises development on the 16-acre plot would be kept to a maximum of 260 houses, all of which would be two and three bedroom. The complex is also planned to include a retirement complex and children's play areas.

Building at the 55-acre golf club, meanwhile, would be zero, with Irish preferring to convert existing facilities instead.

"The only thing needed would be an additional 100 parking spaces, and there is plenty of room for that," he said.

The vast course would be turned into a 17-pitch centre of sporting excellence, which would include Spelthorne's first 3G astro-turf surface, and three floodlit pitches. He hopes the site would be an international team's base during the 2016 World Cup.

He added work would need to be done to overcome "contamination issues", with the club being formerly used as landfill space. Two-thirds of the land would be covered with topsoil to negate the problem.

Mr Conlan outlined why Irish has no alternative but to move and explained its desire to stay in Sunbury.

"We are like a family. We are a unique club in that our facilities are shared between top internationals with our first team, our amateur team and our academy.

"But we currently only have five pitches and our international players are sharing them with 10-year-olds. Everything is squeezed together, the dressing rooms are old and crowded and it just doesn't work any more.

"Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the country and the demand for facilities is now immense. It's a unique sporting institution and we want to keep it all together. The only way to do that is by moving and we want to stay in the village, which is our spiritual home. Hazelwood Golf Club is the best option."

Mr Conlan is pledging to open up the new facility to the wider public and added: "We'll provide significant access to schools, which could use our pitches for other sports besides rugby."

*The exhibition is being held at the golf club on Friday, September 11 between noon-8pm and the following day between 10am-4pm at The Avenue.