Back in March, we reached out to you for support on the first part of regularising our parking arrangements, to ensure the continuity of general-purpose parking across our grounds.

Thanks to your involvement, we were able to demonstrate the value of our facilities to the community, and successfully secured permission for an initial section of our parking.

Now, we’re asking for your support on the second and final part of our car park planning approval process.

There has been general-purpose parking on the site for many decades.

The income generated from this activity help the support the club financially. Losing this parking option could significantly impact the club’s financial stability and the services we provide.

Our current proposal seeks retrospective full planning permission.

Additionally, the application includes highway improvements to our Twickenham Road exit, enhancing safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

It also allows for the installation of 12 electric vehicle charging points which we may wish to provide to meet evolving community needs.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? (4 EASY STEPS)

1. Visit the Richmond Council planning website by pressing the button below. (For completeness, the reference is 24/0585/FUL)
2. Click on Make a Comment (select that you “Support the proposal”
3. Explain your regular and long-standing use of The Richmond Athletic Ground car park for reasons other than playing or attending sport

Every comment in support of our application must be individual; it won’t help our case if the planning officer sees lots of identical comments! However, the following scenarios cover a number of likely situations many of you will recognise from your own experiences…

I fully support this application for the following reasons:

1. The RAA /RFC meets the demand/need for local sports pitches & facilities.
2. The income generated from parking is central to RAA / RFC maintain these facilities.
3. The RAA /RFC deliver important programmes, like the FUEL camps and walking rugby, to people aged 3 to 83 in the community.
4. The application secures improvements to the facility benefiting cyclists/pedestrians & ground users.
5. The application secures visual improvements across the ground from the A316.
6. Parking by visitors supports the local economy.
7. The grounds offer an excellent venue for film parking, with the clubhouse able to provide additional support facilities.
8. There is no impact caused by non-members parking at the ground when members are already permitted to do so.

The Richmond Athletic Ground has been home to Richmond Rugby for 135 years. We want to ensure the club is able to continue delivering sport, fun and social impact for kids and adults alike for another 135 years!

Please use your own words to support the application, and read the documents that form this application, available via links on the application page, to understand the proposals.

Thank you in advance for your support!

To comment on the planning application, click HERE.