This project involves a major repositioning and refurbishment of the Rugby Club facilities which are sited on land owned by Cornwall Council.
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.
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.
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April 2026
Last year saw work begin in earnest on this long-awaited scheme which will provide new, high-quality sports facilities and enable land on the site to be used for future affordable homes and extra care housing in St Ives.
Contracts for the construction of both the clubhouse and the sports pitch were awarded by the Council in Autumn 2025.
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. This was followed by work taking place to demolish the existing grandstand.
In addition to relocating the current clubhouse building to provide a new modern facility, the existing training facilities are being moved east 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 for both the club house and sports pitch began at the end of 2025 but were affected by the intense period of wet weather. There were also some issues with diverting utilities.
Discussions have also been taking place between Cornwall Council, the Rugby Club and contractors Fox Construction on the plans for fitting out the new club house. This element is not included in the Town Deal project and is the responsibility of the Rugby Club.
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.
These future works are not part of the Town Deal programme. Outline planning permission for up to 50 dwellings and up to 70 extra care units with associated open space was also granted in 2025.
The project has received £2.9 million from the government’s Town Deal programme and £2m match funding from Cornwall Council.