‘Working together to achieve best results’

The landlords of the Rec received 67 questions when they held their annual meeting last month. Covering a variety of subjects, they came from six people who object to a new 18,000-capacity ‘community’ stadium for Bath Rugby to play in on the famous piece of land in the centre of the city. The members of the public asked Bath Recreation Ltd about the covenants on the Rec and the intentions of the charitable body formerly known as Bath Recreation Ground Trust in relation to the proposed new stadium and their charitable objects. Some questions appeared to threaten legal action. The board of directors (formerly known as trustees) responded to the questions they felt were most pertinent and relevant to their work as a charity and rebuffed accusations or insinuations made against them. By way of background, in 1922 the Rec and land off North Parade was conveyed by the trustees of the Forester estate to the Bath and County Recreation Ground Company Ltd for £6,050. The deed of conveyance included restrictive covenants on what the land could be used for, which came to be known as ‘the 1922 covenants’. On February 1, 1956, the Rec was conveyed to the mayor, aldermen and citizens of the City of Bath (the corporation) for £11,155. Again, there were covenants pertaining to what the land could be used for, including that it should be for “outdoor recreational use”. Doubts over the legal effect of the 1956 conveyance were settled when, in 2002, the High Court declared the Rec should be managed by a charitable trust, with the council as its trustee, after being managed by the council since the 1970s. The Rec has been the home of the rugby club since 1894. When the amateur club known as Bath FC became professional Bath Rugby in 1996, they were an accepted, technical breach of the 1956 covenants. In 1995, they were granted a lease by the council to be tenants of the Rec until 2069. In December 2016, the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber - Charity) confirmed that the then trust had the powers of “absolute owner”. It can “sell, lease, license or otherwise dispose of” all or any part of the Rec as it works to achieve its charitable objectives. A Stadium for Bath spokesperson said: “We believe there is an opportunity to create an exceptional place for everyone in Bath. “This can only happen if we engage with and embrace the views of people from across the community, including those who may have concerns about redevelopment. “We respect their views and continue to communicate with them directly and in person. “We have always said that the best outcome will be achieved through collaboration and working together with stakeholders from across the city and especially local residents. We look forward to continuing our engagement and the conversations with people across the community.”