FARNHAM Rugby Club has announced ambitious plans to move its home to a 13-acre site off Monkton Lane.

The club has joined up with David Lloyd Leisure, the sports and fitness club giants, in a major new development for the region.

The land, currently used for grazing, forms part of the "strategic gap" between Farnham and Aldershot and the scheme is bound to meet with fierce opposition.

But there will be vigorous support too, from those who admire the remarkable progress made by a club that is only 25 years old and has vastly outgrown its humble home at Wrecclesham.

The club, which produced England fly-half Jonny Wilkinson, has had to contend with waterlogged pitches and inadequate facilities since it moved to Westfield Lane in 1979.

The ground is too small and poorly located for a club that regularly fields four senior fifteens, as well as a ladies' team and numerous colts and junior sides.

Against all the odds, the first team have battled through the county divisions into the prestigious London leagues.

Indeed, Farnham currently stand second in London 4 South West, with a good chance of another promotion.

Too often, they have to play on a quagmire – the lower pitch is almost at river-level - while the task of regularly retrieving the ball from thorny hedges is demeaning when the visitors are such a high-profile club as London Irish.

Farnham's thriving youth section shows their commitment to the community and they feel it is absolutely necessary to relocate within the area, not, as has been suggested, to move to Aldershot.

Club chairman Geoff Robins said: "The search for a suitable alternative site has been going on for many years and we have now identified a site which is ideally suited to our needs.

"But the financial implications of moving to this site are beyond us. To that end, we approached David Lloyd Leisure, who have been keen to locate in the Farnham area for a number of years to become our development partners and sponsor our new facilities."

The plans are for four rugby pitches, the main one of international size, with, interestingly, a cricket square in the middle.

The leisure centre would feature six outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor pool and fully equipped sports and fitness hall, including squash courts and indoor pool.

A planning application will be submitted in the new year.

David Lloyd Leisure, originally formed by Davis Cup tennis player David Lloyd and now part of Whitbread plc, have clubs all over the UK.

Spokesman Tony Lord said: "As soon as we saw the rugby club's plans, we got very excited. We were very interested in bringing our unique brand of tennis, health and fitness to Farnham because we knew from research that there was a real demand for it."

Farnham RFC's committee men, who had their first taste of local opposition when they sketched out their plans to Farnham Town Council members on Monday, are fully aware that development of the Monkton Lane fields could become a political hot potato.

It will be difficult to secure planning permission because both Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors are protective of Waverley's open spaces, especially land classified as part of, or near, the so-called "strategic gap".

The club is determined to convince councillors that development of the site is worthwhile and to drum up support for the scheme within the community.

The campaign will be swinging into action over the next few months, with a series of public meetings and other media events, and a petition. Farnham are urging members and supporters to attend meetings, lobby councillors and write letters.

They hope that Jonny Wilkinson, England's record points scorer, who still occasionally hones his kicking skills at Wrecclesham, will lend his support at one of the meetings.

l Reaction and plans, Page 3.