Rugby Club Scheme

This project involves a major repositioning and refurbishment of the Rugby Club facilities which are sited on land owned by Cornwall Council.

There are currently no high quality sports facilities for the community in St Ives; this project will create a modern clubhouse facility with two full size sports pitches for use by the club and the local community.

It will also free up land to create new affordable homes for key workers and extra care housing as well as improved sports facilities. 

LATEST PROJECT  NEWS 

Work officially begins on delivering new high quality sports facilities in St Ives.

Work on the Town Deal funded St Ives Rugby Club scheme to provide new, high-quality sports facilities which enables land for future affordable homes and extra care housing in St Ives has begun in earnest this week.

The Chair of St Ives Town Deal Board Andrew Baragwanath and St Ives Rugby Club President Ian Deacon formally cut the first turf on the site of the new club house on Monday, 29 September. Work on demolishing the existing grandstand will begin during the next two weeks.

Led by Cornwall Council and funded by St Ives Town Deal, the £4.9m project has been developed in partnership with St Ives Rugby Club and the RFU and meets the requirements and standards of Sport England.  This phase of the scheme is due to be completed by Autumn 2026.

Also attending the turf cutting ceremony were local Cornwall Councillor Andrew Mitchell, representatives from Ward Williams Associates, Stride Treglown Architects, Turner and Townsend and contractors Fox Construction and W R Sandow and officers from Cornwall Council, Town Deal Portfolio.  

Planning permission for the scheme was granted earlier this year. In addition to relocating the current clubhouse building to provide a new modern facility, the existing training facilities are being moved north of their current site to provide a new sports pitch for use by St Ives Rugby Club and the local community, and better access and improved sightlines of the main pitch from the new clubhouse.

Preparatory works have been taking place on site of the new pitch over the past few weeks, together with survey work for the new club house and external landscaping.  As well as the demolition of the existing grandstand, the next few weeks will also see the installation of new underground drainage.

The relocation of the club house and pitch will free up the land needed to provide affordable homes and extra care housing in the future. Outline planning permission for up to 50 dwellings and up to 70 extra care units with associated open space was also granted earlier this year.

“I am delighted to be joining Ian to cut the first turf to mark the formal start of work on this long awaited scheme” said Andrew Baragwanath, Chair of St Ives Town Deal Board.  “As well as improving sporting facilities in our town, this project will free up land to provide much needed new housing.

 “I would like to thank the St Ives Town Deal Board and Cornwall Council for supporting this project and look forward to seeing the opening of the new club house. I also look forward to the housing project commencing in due course”

 Local Cornwall Councillor Andrew Mitchell said “This is the start of a bright, new successful future for St. Ives Rugby Club which the whole town can celebrate and be proud of”.

 Ian Deacon, President of St Ives RFC, added ” It is great to see work officially starting on this project. This development not only allows us to grow further on the pitch whilst continuing to support the local community off it, it also enables us to play our part in assisting with the need for housing in our town.”

The project has received £2.9 million from the government’s Town Deal programme and £2m match funding from Cornwall Council.