Dismay from Henley campaigners as Wasps training ground is approved

The interests of a professional sports club have been put before the welfare of a town according to campaigners left furious by Stratford District Council’s decision to approve plans by Wasps for a new training ground in Henley.

Last year rugby club Wasps revealed proposals to buy Henley Sports Centre and develop the facility into their new training ground.

The idea was met with an immediate backlash from local sports groups who use the centre, fearful that they would lose their home.

During the planning process Wasps have proposed some community use of the new 3G+ pitch which would be installed at the centre, but some campaigners have dismissed the offer saying that such facilities would only be available when not required by Wasps, and would not provide stability for sports groups seeking regular bookings.

Indoor facilities currently at the site such as the sports hall and gym, would not be made available for community use.

A recent survey conducted by Beaudesert and Henley Parish Council, found that of the 600 local residents who responded, 81 per cent believed a significant community sports and health facility will be lost if the plans are given the go-ahead.

711 letters of objection were submitted against the application.

Russ Cox from the Henley Sports Centre Alliance, which has fought against Wasps’ plans, said: “I’ve just completely lost faith in the process, it wasn’t even the fact that this was approved, it’s how it was approved, with the committee voting unanimously to push it through despite all the evidence and arguments we had submitted.

“It has really made me sick to the pit of my stomach and the fact that we had the funds in place to buy the site ourselves was totally ignored, that idea was just ridiculed.

“This should not have happened, there is no moral justification for this decision, it’s all very well telling people they can just travel to Solihull for sports facilities, but how is a 15-year-old going to get to a gym in Solihull?

“When it comes down to it we’re talking about the welfare of a town, the welfare of future generations in Henley, it was a horrible meeting to watch.”

Russ added that the Secretary of State would now examine the application in light of Sport England’s holding objection to Wasps’ plans, but he did not hold out much hope that the decision would be overturned.

Stephen Vaughan, CEO at Wasps Group, welcomed the decision saying: "This is a landmark moment for the club. The new training centre will provide an elite environment for our playing staff and next generation of players.

“These are exciting times for everybody connected to Wasps. We have a lot of work to do and are committed to keeping our supporters, along with the wider public, up to date with progress and plans to engage with the community.

“In the meantime, we look forward to maintaining strong working relationships with our friends at Broadstreet Rugby Club, who have been exemplary in understanding our position throughout.”

During the meeting Mr Vaughn said he was confident Wasps would win over the community with its outreach work, once the training ground was up and running.

A condition of the permission granted at last week's planning committee meeting was that Wasps contribute £50,000 towards an alternative sports facility through agreement with Beaudesert and Henley Joint Parish Council.