Fawley RFC rejoice over new pavilion

FAWLEY RFC players are celebrating after permission was given by New Forest District Council for a new sports pavilion to be built in the Waterside.

The rugby club applied last summer for the new single-storey building with 630 square metres of floor space at its ground off Newlands Road in Gang Warily.

The parish council, which owns the site, gave its backing “due to the amenity value and the support it would provide to the sporting people of the parish”. Another 36 letters of support were received from members of the public.

The application was rubber-stamped by NFDC chief planning officer, Claire Upton-Brown, who called the proposal “an improvement to the existing facilities at this site, enhancing the recreational use of the open space and providing opportunities for social interaction and supporting healthy lifestyles”.

Rugby club spokesperson Vicky Belson told the A&T: “In order to continue with the growth and integration with the community schools and population, [we] needed to have a place to call home.

“With our own clubhouse, this will give us a firm footing to continue with the development and growth of the club. We will be able to offer the community a safe and controlled area to train, play and watch rugby.”

The club, which has been running since the 1920s, moved to its current site in 2014 and was previously based at the Waterside Sports and Social Club in Holbury.

Due to the current coronavirus crisis, it is not yet known when work to build the new clubhouse will begin.

Fawley Parish Council clerk Steve Postlethwaite told the A&T that councillors were “delighted” that planning permission had been granted.

He added: “The rugby club has grown since moving to Gang Warily and the shared facilities at the centre are just not big enough to accommodate them, therefore the council was pleased to support this application which will take the club forward to the next level.”