New Amersham care home and padel tennis courts at rugby club take step forward

Plans to build a new care home and padel tennis courts at a rugby club in Amersham have taken a step forward.

Buckinghamshire Council has now made a decision on the project proposed by Amersham and Chiltern RFC at Ash Grove, Weedon Lane.

The authority said the care home development and upgrades to the club’s facilities would be ‘unlikely to have any significant environmental effects beyond the application site’.

This means the club does not have to submit an environmental impact assessment – a document needed for projects likely to have significant effects on the environment.

The council’s decision gives the club one less hoop to jump through in planning terms, although it will still need to secure formal permission.

The club wants to build a four-storey dementia care home with 60 bedrooms and 22 car parking spaces on a parcel of unused land it has agreed to sell to London-based developer Zephyr X Ltd.

The proposed building is ‘based on a village concept’ and would occupy the south-eastern corner of the club’s sloped back field, which is not used for rugby.

A club spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There is a significant shortfall of elderly and dementia care in Amersham, and this enabling development will deliver a substantial benefit of its own, as well as generating funds for the sports initiatives.”

Money from the land will help fund ‘significant improvements’ to the club’s facilities, including a new all-weather 3G pitch in place of the existing training pitch with new floodlights and fencing.

Four new padel tennis courts are also planned, which will address the ‘lack’ of local facilities for what is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.

The Club, which recently celebrated its centenary and is now ‘looking to its next 100 years of rugby’, said the padel courts would also provide it with ‘another future income stream’.

A spokesperson said: “Through the grass roots game, from minis to juniors, colts to adults, the club has produced professional and international players, but ultimately remains a community club, driven by goodwill, sponsorship and legacy.

“To remain competitive and viable, the club must continue to look forward, both in terms of the quality of its facilities and income generation.

“The club is therefore proposing a package of sporting and related initiatives, including an all-weather 3G pitch, perimeter running surfaces, and improvements to pitch drainage, the clubhouse and parking. The proposals have the full support of its trustees and the RFU.”

The club said it ‘recognised’ that the development land was in the green belt and was therefore working closely with the council and other consultees to ensure its plans complied with policies.

A formal planning application is expected to be submitted this month, and the club anticipates a decision on its application this summer, with initial construction work to commence in autumn if this is successful.