We continue to work with Esquire developments to deliver a relocation for TWRFC from St Marks to Chase Farm on Bunny Lane. This provides our community rugby club with a great opportunity to cement its future as a premier sporting facility in the south-east of England. It will see Chase Farm become a multi-sport site that gives our community a real hub as well as setting the club up with financial security to celebrate the next 100 years!

A quick recap on where we are up to!
- We already have planning permission to redevelop St Marks. This would allow us to build an Alternative Grass Pitch (AGP), re-locate the cricket square, expand the parking (67 to c.130), build a cricket pavilion and expand the social space in front of the clubhouse.
- The redevelopment of St Marks has a huge financial cost to the Club and still leaves many of our needs unsatisfied, for example: Clubhouse still in a sub-optimal location, Clubhouse at (3.500 sq feet) still in need of expansion, parking a significant improvement but still short of our needs and we remain tight on space with 22 acres of land.
- Two years ago Esquire developments presented an alternative option which would see TWRFC move c.500m down Frant Road to Chase Farm. This would see TWRFC move to a site of 35 acres of freehold land, with a purpose build clubhouse (11,000 sq feet), a well thought out layout of the site, with all pitches drained to RFU guidelines, an alternative grass pitch, better parking provision, a cricket pitch (solely used for cricket) with its own pavilion and entirely owned by TWRFC with no debt or fundraising.
- The Board consulted with our 1100 members and listened to their views on which options they would like to guide the Board towards. The feedback was overwhelming and the Board has been pursuing the relocation of the Club from St Marks.

What’s the update?
- Our plans for the new site and its facilities has developed further: We will now also add 5 Padel courts into our plans to provide an exciting new sport and of course a valuable alternative income stream to our Club. We will now provide following sports at Chase Farm: Rugby; cricket; football (on the AGP); Running; Padel. As well as our other wide reaching clubs/societies and community programmes.
- Homes England have acquired the fields next door to St Marks (part of the wider development plans). This land will form part of the overall planning permission. This is a significant investment and shows a belief that this scheme will progress.
- Esquire have continued to liaise with Wealden Council and Tunbridge Wells Council as to the overall scheme. Following the pre-planning review they have been working closely to ensure all thoughts are aligned on matters such as traffic management, environmental impact and of course the provision of a good sporting surface. The RFU and ECB have already guided the developer on the type of drainage required to create a good playing surface for both sports. All this has seen plans evolve to a position where they are now ready to submit their formal planning permission. TWRFC are presently reviewing the documents to ensure our entire satisfaction.
- We have also continued to fine tune our option agreement with Esquire which now includes commitments from them to support us financially as we transition to the new site. Including funding to ensure our new pitches remain well invested/maintained, our BNG commitments are funded and provide us with more general purpose financial support as we acclimatise to a new business model.
- We have also seen various local action groups express their concerns at our plans. They have been active in petitioning for support, active in writing press articles and active trying to object to the plans. These community groups are of course our local neighbours at St Marks who presently enjoy nice views over our fields. This is all to be expected and whilst a little unpleasant to see us in the press it is demonstrating the progress we are making. You will not see us reply to any press articles.
- For example, a such action one of the objecting community action groups took was to list St Marks as an ‘Asset of community Value’. You will see planning notices on St Marks in this regard when you next visit as we comply with this requirement.

So we are making progress and the next thing you will see is formal planning permission being submitted. As always if you have any questions then please do catch me or one of the Board up at the club.

We are nearly back to rugby and I can’t wait to get back up the club!

COYW

Mike