By Brian Dick, Birmingham Post
August 6 2009

Birmingham & Solihull Rugby Club awake this morning feeling the effects of the night before and contemplating the rejection of the planning application that would have secured their future. The Championship outfit must now consider its next move after Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council turned down its request to build 87 houses on its ground at Sharmans Cross Road.

In doing so the town’s politicians also torpedoed Bees’ hopes of a groundshare with Solihull Moors at the football club’s well-appointed facility on Damson Parkway and a route out of the debts born out of low attendances and overspending.

They have also ended the prospect of establishing of a community foundation that would have brought sports and lifestyle coaching to one of the area’s neediest communities.

Ironically only an hour earlier the same councillors had voted in favour of that initiative and the development of Damson Park. However, both schemes depend on funds provided by the realisation of the £8 million asset that is Bees’ existing, inadequate playing base.

The decision, carried unanimously by the local authority’s planning committee, leaves the club pondering their next step with the 2009/10 rugby season just a month away and wages to be paid.

Chairman Brian Marshall remains resolute and insists Russell Earnshaw’s men will not only make it to Plymouth Albion on September 5 but host the return fixture on February 20 before the league separates into promotion and relegation play-off groups.

“We desperately hoped the application would be accepted. It would have secured both of the major sporting clubs in the borough,” Marshall said.

“We will have to find out what the situation is going forward. We have already made provision if this did not go through and have financial projections based on both outcomes.

“The projections are that we can both start and finish the season. We are committed to carrying on and we will certainly consider an appeal.”

That decision will be made after meeting development company Oakmoor, which was handling the application for Bees, and will depend upon whether the board feel they can successfully overturn the council’s reason for rejection.

Planners threw out the proposal because it did not contain the requisite number of affordable homes – 40 per cent must fall into this category. That too is a bitter irony given the leafy and privileged surroundings in which the ground is located.

Oakmoor argued that this would have meant about a £3 million reduction in the value of the land and would not have left enough money to set up the foundation and pay the club’s creditors.

The committee felt 80 per cent of the site at Sharmans Cross belonged to the council, albeit leased to the rugby club for the next 82 years.

click here for more on this story

Solihull councillors reject Bees’ housing scheme for ground

Discussion started by Unofficial Coventry Rugby (IP Logged), 06/08/2009 09:35

Unofficial Coventry Rugby
06/08/2009 09:35

What do you think? You can have your say by posting below.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.

Reply Quote Report

Goto: Forum List•Message List•Search• Log In

Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.

We record all IP addresses on the Sportnetwork message boards which may be required by the authorities in case of defamatory or abusive comment. We seek to monitor the Message Boards at regular intervals. We do not associate Sportnetwork with any of the comments and do not take responsibility for any statements or opinions expressed on the Message Boards. If you have any cause for concern over any material posted here please let us know as soon as possible by e-mailing abuse@sportnetwork.net