The Avenue
Encyclopedia
The Avenue is a Rugby Union
stadium at Sunbury-on-Thames
that has belonged to the English
club London Irish
since 1931 when the team purchased eleven acres to establish a club there. While the team moved to Madjeski Stadium in 1999, the stadium survived the team's 2009 proposed redevelopment plan, and remains the site of pre-season friendlies. The site also serves as a training facility for the "London Irish England Rugby Academy".
1,280 to be the home stadium for London Irish, before they left in 1999 to play at the Madjeski Stadium. The ground then began to be used by the London Irish Amateur side. However, it still contains London Irish's main offices and is the club's training ground. London Irish played their last senior league game at The Avenue on 1 May 1999 against Saracens
. The stadium, however, still hosts the senior London Irish team's pre-season friendlies and is also used as a training venue for the London Irish England Rugby Academy. At its peak, The Avenue could hold up to 6,600 spectators.
When their plans were revealed, at the planning meeting, the Spelthorne Liberal Democrats
councillors opposed The Avenue redevelopment plans on the grounds that they disagreed with the Conservative
policy that 80% of the new homes needed to have either one or two bedrooms. It was also opposed by the Labour
candidate for the Spelthorne
parlimentary constituency in the 2010 UK general election, Adam Tyler-Moore. As a result of the plans, local residents set up protest groups against the plans, such as the Sunbury Opposes London Irish Development (SOLID) and Lower Sunbury Residents Association. Along with the Liberal Democrats' objections, on 15 April 2010, 500 people organised a protest march against the plans, claiming that London Irish just wanted to make money off the land despite the club's claim that it would engage with the community. The plans did however have the support of the Rugby Football Union
, Premier Rugby, Sport England
and the Rugby Player's Association. As a result of the negative reaction from the local residents, the club downsized their plans from 400 to less than 200 houses, as well as including construction of a health care centre and a residential care home to go in with the developments.
In 2010, London Irish applied for the planning permission to demolish the grandstand and replace it with residential houses, however the plans were rejected by Spelthorne Council. The plans were rejected because in the council's eyes, the development "...would have resulted in an unacceptable lose (sic
) of an outdoor sports facility." It was revealed that the council had received 857 letters opposing the plans with only 250 letters in support of them, with 206 of the supporting letters coming from outside the borough. London Irish announced that they would appeal against this decision. This appeal led to the council announcing an inquiry to be held on 7 June 2011 and lasting 12 days to discuss the future of the ground. The London Irish Chief Executive Andy Martin said that the move was needed as the ground lacked sufficient rugby pitches and that they had the senior team sharing facilities with the amateur and junior teams.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
stadium at Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
that has belonged to the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club London Irish
London Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
since 1931 when the team purchased eleven acres to establish a club there. While the team moved to Madjeski Stadium in 1999, the stadium survived the team's 2009 proposed redevelopment plan, and remains the site of pre-season friendlies. The site also serves as a training facility for the "London Irish England Rugby Academy".
History
The ground was purchased in 1931 for £Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
1,280 to be the home stadium for London Irish, before they left in 1999 to play at the Madjeski Stadium. The ground then began to be used by the London Irish Amateur side. However, it still contains London Irish's main offices and is the club's training ground. London Irish played their last senior league game at The Avenue on 1 May 1999 against Saracens
Saracens F.C.
Saracens are a professional rugby union team based in St. Albans, England – although they play their home games at Vicarage Road, in Watford. They are currently members of the Aviva Premiership, the top level of domestic rugby union in England...
. The stadium, however, still hosts the senior London Irish team's pre-season friendlies and is also used as a training venue for the London Irish England Rugby Academy. At its peak, The Avenue could hold up to 6,600 spectators.
Redevelopment plans
London Irish revealed in 2009 that they were planning to demolish their ancestral home ground and current training facility to replace it with 400 houses while relocating the club offices and training to the nearby Hazelwood Golf Centre.When their plans were revealed, at the planning meeting, the Spelthorne Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
councillors opposed The Avenue redevelopment plans on the grounds that they disagreed with the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
policy that 80% of the new homes needed to have either one or two bedrooms. It was also opposed by the Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
candidate for the Spelthorne
Spelthorne (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1970s:-Elections in the 1960s:...
parlimentary constituency in the 2010 UK general election, Adam Tyler-Moore. As a result of the plans, local residents set up protest groups against the plans, such as the Sunbury Opposes London Irish Development (SOLID) and Lower Sunbury Residents Association. Along with the Liberal Democrats' objections, on 15 April 2010, 500 people organised a protest march against the plans, claiming that London Irish just wanted to make money off the land despite the club's claim that it would engage with the community. The plans did however have the support of the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
, Premier Rugby, Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and the Rugby Player's Association. As a result of the negative reaction from the local residents, the club downsized their plans from 400 to less than 200 houses, as well as including construction of a health care centre and a residential care home to go in with the developments.
In 2010, London Irish applied for the planning permission to demolish the grandstand and replace it with residential houses, however the plans were rejected by Spelthorne Council. The plans were rejected because in the council's eyes, the development "...would have resulted in an unacceptable lose (sic
Sic
Sic—generally inside square brackets, [sic], and occasionally parentheses, —when added just after a quote or reprinted text, indicates the passage appears exactly as in the original source...
) of an outdoor sports facility." It was revealed that the council had received 857 letters opposing the plans with only 250 letters in support of them, with 206 of the supporting letters coming from outside the borough. London Irish announced that they would appeal against this decision. This appeal led to the council announcing an inquiry to be held on 7 June 2011 and lasting 12 days to discuss the future of the ground. The London Irish Chief Executive Andy Martin said that the move was needed as the ground lacked sufficient rugby pitches and that they had the senior team sharing facilities with the amateur and junior teams.