Lincoln Rugby Football Club Development Plans Stalled

The Lincolnshire Echo is today reporting that plans to spend £1.6m developing a new home for Lincoln Rugby Football Club have divided opinion in the village where it could be built. The Red & Greens are looking to move away from The Lindum in St. Giles Avenue, Lincoln, to a bigger purpose-built ground in Nettleham, north of the city.

As reported in the paper, the rugby club submitted plans to West Lindsey District Council last October to develop four full-size pitches and seven smaller ones on 32.5 acres of land based off Lodge Farm, Lodge Lane.

Parish councillors in Nettleham narrowly voted to oppose the proposal in November, with four members speaking out against it and three in favour, and Liberal Democrats district councillors Malcolm Leaning and Alf Frith unhelpfully expressing no view.

Traffic concerns were expressed by villagers, with an estimated 180 attending the parish council meeting along with club representatives.

In the most recent edition of Nettleham News a number of letters were published showing residents are both in favour and against the project, while West Lindsey has so far received seventy-two responses during the public consultation.

In total, fifty-nine have opposed the rugby club move with thirteen welcoming it.

The rugby club had hoped to start building work in April, but the paper reports that it understands the application is not currently scheduled to be considered at next month's planning committee meeting.

The authority is believed to be waiting for more information to be submitted before the application can progress later in the year.