Rugby ground lease row continues

Bath Rugby club has asked for an extension to its lease for part of the Rec after plans to expand the stadium failed last month.

The proposals for a bigger capacity 15,000 seat venue were rejected by the Charity Commission.

The club has now asked to use the east stand for a further two years until a longer term solution can be agreed.

The Rec trustees said they needed more financial information to appeal against the Charity Commission's ruling.

If the club fails to get permission for the east stand their capacity would be reduced next season from 10,600 to 8,600.

The club said it needed to improve the ground and this would require a "very substantial" capital investment.

The Charity Commission said it was unable to support the club's plans because the benefits of the proposals did not outweigh the detriments.

However, it did say it was open to accepting revised proposals.

A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council said it was "surprised" by the request to renew the lease for the east stand without addressing the long term position of the club.

"The council understands that the Charity Commission has indicated this is unlikely to be an acceptable way forward, which could be prejudiced by this action."

But the trustees who manage the site said it was "disappointing" the club was "unwilling or unable" to consider how the detriments of the proposals previously submitted to the Charity Commission could be addressed.

"For the trust to pursue the course of action that the Rugby Club has asked, we have made clear that detailed information about its financial situation in both the short and the long-term would be required."