Bath Rugby recently filed a scoping application https://bit.ly/2ZyCKgh for the Environmental Impact Assessment which they will be required to submit with their substantive planning application. This suggests that they are on track to submit a planning application in the foreseeable future. Bath Rugby have been consultative and open in their approach to Bath Preservation Trust and BPT has participated in several stakeholder meetings alongside Historic England and specialist Local Authority officers since the last public consultation. Although there have been no public images since the last consultation, our understanding from stakeholder meetings is that the design has changed since the last public consultation and we await any new proposal being put forward by Bath Rugby.
This reinforces the Trust’s point of view that it is premature to take a firm positions on the design of the previous consultation until we know whether this is going to be part of the application design. In the absence of other publicly available information, we would reiterate our previously stated position, which can be summarised as “Rugby on the Rec, but not ‘at any price”.
Read our full position statement here Bath Preservation Trust update on the Rec July 2019
BPT Trustees recognise that any conflicts of interest will be scrutinised in relation to a planning application for a stadium on the Recreation Ground. The Trust agreed their position on this in 2018 and have submitted the letter below to the Charity Commission explaining the position they have taken.