A scheme to extend the recently-built Ilkley Rugby Club pavilion could provide new facilities for other sports clubs in the area.
Ilkley RUFC has applied to Bradford Council for permission to extend the south end of its new clubhouse and stand on Stacks Field, following the major redevelopment of recent years.
The club opened its £1.4 million clubhouse and grandstand in 2011, built with the help of a massive fundraising effort by the club itself, plus funding from Sport England, Bradford Council, Ilkley Parish Council and a loan from the Rugby Football Union.
The proposed extension includes a new fitness and recovery area, consisting of two new rooms and access lobby on the ground floor and a new medical or physiotherapy room allowing access for players needing medical attention.
A fitness and rehabilitation suite is planned at the rear of the extension, to help players recover more quickly after matches.
A design and access statement by Design Studio North Architects says: “Groups such as the local triathlon club will have the addition of a fitness suite and medical facilities available to them for the first time as a result of this extension. The majority of the funding for the project has been raised over the last ten years by the club itself.
“The community has been actively involved over this period in raising money to provide a new state-of-the-art community facility for Ilkley.”
It says the club currently has no recovery or fitness facility, making the extension “crucial” to the aid and recovery of the people who use the facility. The proposals also include extending the existing first-floor balcony on the building to increase the size of this viewing area. The site would continue to provide the existing 76 parking spaces.
The plans submitted to the Council also include a flood risk assessment The site lies within the flood plain of the River Wharfe in peak flood conditions. The planned extension would be sited on a flat terrace on the site, which is designed to be above the level of the peak flood condition, and a void below this terrace allows flood water to pass in and out.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here