Bath: Premiership club submit plans to redevelop the Recreation Ground
- Published
Bath hope to increase the capacity of the Recreation Ground to 18,000
Bath have reached a "historic milestone" as the planning application for the redevelopment of the Recreation Ground has been submitted, said their chief executive.
The Premiership club want to build an 18,000 capacity stadium on the site and replace the current temporary stands.
Long-running legal disputes and design changes have hampered the plans for a number of years.
Bath and North East Somerset Council will now assess the application.
"We've taken a huge step forward in terms of submitting our planning application, our proposals for redevelopment for our ground here at The Rec to bring these facilities into the 21st century," chief executive Tarquin McDonald told BBC Points West.
The current facilities at the ground date back to the 1950s, with capacity at 14,500.
As well as the increased stadium capacity, Bath's plans include regenerating the riverside and also creating a cafe, club shop and museum for non-matchday use.
If approved, McDonald said the club hope to be in a position to start the building work during the 2025-26 season, with rugby continuing to be played at The Rec during that time.
"We have huge ambition in the club in terms of the coaching staff that we have, Johann van Graan, Lee Blackett, Richard Blaze, in terms of the players that we have and Ollie Lawrence, Finn Russell joining us, Thomas du Toit, to name a few," McDonald said.
"The stadium is a key part of our plans and absolutely from a domestic point of view, in terms of European competition, we want this place to be a cauldron in terms of support on matchdays.
"We also want this to be a place that can help the club to continue to fund great coaches, great players and long-term success at the club and the city."