THE RELOCATION of a south Warwickshire rugby club has been thrown into doubt.
Kenilworth Rugby Football Club has been granted planning permission for a new ground off Warwick Road and housing developer Bloor Homes had been due to purchase the club’s existing Glasshouse Lane sites to help finance the project.
The club signed an agreement back in November 2021 to sell its land to Bloor Homes which planned to develop the site for housing as part of the Warwick District Local Plan.
However Bloor Homes has now withdrawn from the scheme.
KRFC chairman Paul Fountaine described it as a severe blow to the club which celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.
He continued: “We are extremely disappointed, having jointly overcome a number of hurdles that Bloor Homes has decided to withdraw for commercial reasons four years after their original offer was submitted.
“While the impact of their withdrawal will be heavily felt across all sections of the club, we must now review the options open to us, and gauge the level of interest in our site from other developers such that we can meet the club’s aspirations for the new ground where we still hope to provide a top-class facility for the local community and rugby football in south Warwickshire. Events such as KENFEST have demonstrated we are so much more than just a rugby club.”
Mr Fountaine added that KRFC will now be reviewing their development strategy to ensure that the club can maximise its offering to its members and remain committed to fostering a love for rugby, supporting player development, and continuing its proud tradition of community engagement through the values of the game of rugby, across all ages.
Bloor Homes’s planning application to Warwick District Council for 200 homes off Glasshouse Lane has not been withdrawn from consideration.
The housing developer declined to comment.
