Longlevens football and rugby club clash over facilities

The two clubs are based in buildings right next to each other

Plans to expand a rugby club's facilities have been paused to discuss whether the neighbouring football club will be affected.

Longlevens Rugby Club want permission from Gloucester City Council to extend their clubhouse in Longford Lane.

Their plans include a new gym, larger ground floor lounge bar and extending the existing store and car park.

However, Longlevens Football Club say the expansion may mean they cannot use their clubhouse changing rooms.

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The proposals, as they stand, would leave a one metre (3.2 ft) gap between the two clubs which would reduce to 25cm (9.8 ins) when the door is open.

Both clubs have said they want to work together, but no compromise has yet been worked out, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Longlevens Association FC vice-chairman Steve Davis told the planning committee on 2 August that the football and rugby club have got on extremely well for many years.

'Nothing against them'

"We have nothing against them building better and building bigger," he said.

"Our main issue is the one metre gap. We did ask if that gap could be extended to two metres."

Mr Davis said it was unfeasible to expect members of the club "to exit through that 25cm gap on a weekly basis."

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Longlevens RFC president Julian Jenkins said while the rugby club wants to work with the football club, they "don't actually have any legal rights" to use the affected area.

"They are our next-door neighbours, we don't want any long-term problems with them," he said.

"It's a case of having to expand to meet the needs of our membership," he added.

No legal rights

Councillor Dawn Melvin suggested halting the proposed expansion to give the two clubs time to come to an agreement.

She said: "If [the proposal] passes today it will hurt one party if it doesn't it will hurt the other party.

"I would love to see you guys take more time to discuss this, even if it's a few weeks, if we can defer it and then for you to come back.

"I for one feel very strongly about not being a part of that because it could cause a divide between the football community and rugby community in Longlevens."

The committee voted for deferral by seven votes for it, two against and two abstentions.

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