Discussions continue over Newmarket Rugby Club’s plea to stay in town
Talks are ongoing over Newmarket Rugby Club’s appeal to remain in the town it has called home for nearly seven decades.
The club said it is being forced to find a new location for next season due to ongoing disputes with the Newmarket Sports Development Association (NSDA), which leases the former Scaltback Middle School playing fields — the club's current home — from Suffolk County Council.
In a bid to secure its future, the club has requested a short-term lease on part of the George Lambton playing field in Fordham Road, though West Suffolk Council has yet to respond.
The matter was discussed by Newmarket Town Council on Monday and Cllr John Harvey highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the proposals.
He said: “The proposals have all sorts of questions around them and the full ramifications are currently unclear.
“We even had 12 members of the public in attendance at the meeting because people are worried and want to know what is going to happen.”
Cllr Harvey said the club’s proposal would need to go through due process at West Suffolk with a full planning application, which would then require further consultation.
The proposed move to the George Lambton field includes plans to put up a fence round the leased area to prevent dog fouling, though this was met with concerns from the public during the meeting.
However, Cllr Harvey believes it would be preferred if the disputes between the NSDA and rugby club were resolved.
This would mean the club could remain at Scaltback rather than having to consider the George Lambton field — or even alternative sites outside of Newmarket, either in Dullingham or Bottisham.
“We would, of course, prefer the rugby club to stay in the town where it is,” Cllr Harvey said. “To see the club leave after nearly 70 years would be a real blow to Newmarket.
“We now have to wait for West Suffolk Council to respond and determine whether the proposal is even viable.
“Once that happens, we’ll be in a better position to consult on the plans, but it could be a few weeks before we know more.”
Newmarket Rugby Club has more than 500 members, of which more than 220 are children.
Robert Voss, representing the NSDA, previously said the association was unaware of the club's plans to relocate and also unaware of any conflict between the two parties.
