Gareth Lightfoot

Stockton Rugby Club is consulting on plans for a two-storey clubhouse at its five-acre Grosvenor Road site in Fairfield. The proposed facility would include training and gym areas, bars, event spaces, terraces and parking, supporting the club’s youth, women’s, girls’ and disability programmes while generating income and serving as a year-round community hub. Residents oppose the scale and potential intensification of activity, citing concerns about traffic, parking, road safety, noise, crime, environmental effects and the site’s single access road. A petition was signed by 72 of 74 attendees at a public meeting, while the club says support outweighs objections and that it will continue discussions before submitting a planning application.