Newport Rugby Club and Newport Gwent Dragons can today announce their intention to start work on the first phase of the ambitious scheme to transform Rodney Parade into a 21st Century stadium.
Dragons Chairman, Martyn Hazell said “We are delighted to have reached a position where we are confident we can make a start to the redevelopment of the stadium early in the New Year. The last year has been difficult economically but now the plans are in place, the finance is available and our contractors are preparing their final plans and materials.”
The first phase will see the demolition of the Argus Terrace and the development of a new grandstand that will include hospitality boxes and seat up to 2,700 spectators. The Rugby Club is also looking to introduce temporary facilities to improve the match day experience for spectators pending the completion of subsequent phases of the overall redevelopment scheme.
Hazell went on to say “We are very conscious that some spectators who currently use the Argus Terrace may prefer to stand and so we are planning to re-introduce terracing behind the goal area at the Club House end of the ground.
“We are also planning to improve overall access to the spectator areas and to offer dining facilities for those who wish to have a meal before the games.”
Plans for new terracing have been lodged with the City Council and a planning application for the dining area will be made shortly. These are seen as temporary arrangements pending the redevelopment of the Club House end of the ground which will be the final phase of the overall scheme.
Will Godfrey, Chairman of Newport Rugby Club said “Given the economic uncertainties at the moment we know that it will take several years to complete the scheme in its entirety and we have to do it step by step.
“In the interim we are putting in temporary facilities to improve those parts of the stadium that will be redeveloped at a later date.”
In addition, the Rugby Club is working with the City Council to explore ways of improving the external appearance of the existing Hazell stand on Rodney Road, pending its redevelopment under the third phase of the overall scheme.
Designs are currently being developed to re-clad the outside of the stand in order to brighten up this part of Rodney Road. Depending on cost implications there is also the possibility of a mural depicting the history of rugby in the city.
Godfrey said “We think that a mural would be an excellent tribute to the role that rugby has played in the historic and cultural development of Newport during the last 135 years and we will be seeking partners to explore ways this might be delivered.”
Work will continue for the rest of this year to finalise the construction arrangements with a start on site currently scheduled for next January. The new stand will take around six months to complete and if everything goes according to plan the new facilities will be ready for the start to 2011/2012 season.
The Club is keeping its neighbours informed and this week has distributed over 300 copies of a community newsletter to local residents and businesses around the stadium. The Club has also met with local councillors and will be issuing updates as the scheme moves forward.
Hazell went on to say “We hope to keep any disruption during construction to a minimum and will be informing our neighbours in advance of any potentially noisy activities.”
The second phase of the scheme will be a new stand at the south end of the ground and this will include a much needed community centre. No timescales are available for this at the present time but the Club hopes to start planning for this once the phase 1 works have become established.
