Harlow
Work on state-of-the-art
Harlow rugby club gets underway
Work is set to begin on the muchneeded new facilities for Harlow Rugby
Club, which are to be funded from the
proceeds of the sale of its existing ground
to Kier Living Eastern. Key members of
Harlow Rugby Club, Kier Living Eastern
and Harlow Council gathered at the new
ground to cut the first turf for the £6
million development.
The town’s thriving rugby club has
more than 300 playing members, ranging
from age 6 up to veterans, with the Men’s
1st XV playing in London Division 3 North
East, the Ladies 1st XV playing in the
National Challenge 1 South East North
league and its juniors and minis teams
playing at each age group.
The club will play its last season at
the current ground at Ram Gorse before
moving to the new facility at Latton Farm,
just two miles away in spring 2017. Latton
Farm, off Howard Way, is more central to
Harlow and part of the corridor of sports
facilities for the town that already includes
football fields and the Harlow Sports
Centre.
Alan Brooking, chairman of Harlow
Rugby Club for eight years and who is now
overseeing the move to the new ground,
said; “Our current clubhouse was built
in 1955 and, as much as we love it here,
we have run out of playing and training
space and the clubhouse is no longer fit
for the modern requirements of a multiage, multi-sex playing membership so to
see work starting shortly is testament to
all those who believed and worked on this
project over the past 20 years.
“The
new
club
will
be
a
purpose-built facility using the very
latest design techniques inside and out,
with 4 adult pitches and 2 mini pitches,
floodlights to training pitches and 1st XV
pitches and a two-storey clubhouse
encompassing all of the
RFU and Sport England
guidelines which we
believe will provide
a fantastic facility
for our members
both on and off the
pitch.
“One of the
key reasons for
the move is to
support the club
in
significantly
enhancing
the
development of rugby
both for the club and the local
community. The club will retain its
status as a community amateur sports
club and as such we are also very keen to
support other not-for-profit organisations
in the town that require space.”
Nick Moore, managing director for Kier
Living Eastern said; “We are delighted
to see this project come to fruition. It is
something that the council, Kier Living
and Harlow Rugby Club have been
working together on for some time and
it will bring enormous benefit to both the
club and the wider Harlow community.”
Councillor Tony Durcan, Harlow
Council’s
Portfolio
Holder
for
Regeneration & Enterprise, concluded:
“This is a fantastic day for Harlow Rugby
Club and for the town’s continued
regeneration. Harlow is very proud of its
sporting traditions, the sports facilities
it provides and the difference this all
makes to people’s lives. The new
state-of-the-art rugby club
home will add to all this
and be a place for all
the community to
enjoy. Many of the
club’s
members
are
Harlow
residents
and
this development
will also benefit
them and future
generations
for
years to come.
“I would like to
thank rugby club officials,
the Kier Living Eastern team
and council officers for all their
hard work and dedication to this project
which has now reached this important
milestone.”
Kier Living Eastern will be building
houses and apartments at the Elizabeth
Way site, the clubs current ground.
In addition to the new rugby club Kier
Living Eastern will contribute towards
a number of other community benefits
including contributions towards a
children’s play area, allotments, public art,
park improvements, health facilities and
education.
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