Irish Threaten To Leave Headquarters
Guinness Premiership team London Irish is threatening to leave Sunbury, its headquarters for more than 70 years, if the clubs fails to get planning permission to build a £14m sporting centre.
Irish is planning to build the centre of excellence at Hazelwood Golf Course and plans to fund the move by building 194 houses on the club’s ground at the Avenue.
The club hope to build 17 rugby pitches for use by the first team side and the amateur and junior teams.
The club held a six-month consultation programme with local residents, after which their initial plans for 400 houses were rejected and the club agreed to 194 houses with a health centre and care home.
Irish’s plans, which have the support of the Rugby Football Union, Premier Rugby, Sport England and the Rugby Players’ Association, must now go before a special planning committee on 27th April.
London Irish’s chief executive, Andy Martin, said: ‘We have already invested several million pounds in the project and have worked really hard with the residents to try to accommodate any concerns. We want to leave a lasting legacy at the Avenue if we are going to move around the corner.’
