INITIAL reactions to Farnham Rugby Club's renewed bid to relocate to Monkton Lane will be heard at a forum being held next Thursday by Waverley Borough Council. The Stax Group Ltd, which has taken up the baton as would-be partner in the leisure development after David Lloyd Leisure pulled out a year ago, will join the rugby club in outlining the proposals for tennis and rugby facilities at the site. "Key invited stakeholders" will then set out what they consider to be the main issues. Waverley Council this week listed those involved as Bell Cornwell Associates, who are agents for Stax and Farnham Rugby Club, Farnham Town Council, the Bourne Tennis Club, Sport England, Surrey County Council highways and planning representatives, Cannons Health Club, Waverley Council's leisure manager and Stewart Edge, Waverley councillor for Weybourne and Badshot Lea, who will represent local residents' views. The presentations will be followed by questions from councillors. The forum is intended to enable early identification of issues, enabling the developer to consider them when the development proposals are at a formative stage. John Anderson, development control and policy manager said: "Development control consultative forums are still a relatively new way of working for Waverley but already they are proving to be a vital component of the planning process." The forum is open to the public, but they may not speak. Comments can be submitted in writing to Waverley and passed on to the developer. The forum will be held in the Waverley Council Chamber at Godalming at 4 pm. A second forum may be held at a later date to enable more detailed plans to be set out. The rugby club has indicated that proposals for the 22-acre site will ideally include four rugby pitches, a club with indoor pool, four or five squash courts, indoor badminton area, gym, spa, bar, restaurant, shop, eight outdoor tennis courts and two pay-and-play tennis courts. It is understood that the possibility of relocating the Brightwells Bowling Club to the site has also been mooted
