{"id":870463,"date":"2026-08-27T17:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/870463\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T17:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T17:02:14","slug":"twickenham-660m-makeover-plan-hit-as-locals-push-back-against-concert-scheme-rugby-football-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/870463\/","title":{"rendered":"Twickenham \u00a3660m makeover plan hit as locals push back against concert scheme | Rugby Football Union"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Rugby Football Union\u2019s bid to stage more concerts at \u00adTwickenham<\/a> has been delivered a blow after local councillors insisted planning \u00adpermission should not be awarded until the proposal further commits to limiting the impact.<\/p>\n

The RFU has \u00adsubmitted its \u00adplanning application<\/a> to Richmond council to use the \u00adstadium for non-sporting events for up to 15 days a year, with a decision due in October. Public consultation was due to end on Thursday with 240 \u00adsubmissions in favour and 456 against at the time of\u00a0writing.<\/p>\n

While the ward councillors based in neighbouring Whitton, St \u00adMargarets and North Twickenham do not oppose the idea of the stadium hosting more concerts, they make clear in comments on the \u00adapplication they believe the plan does not do enough to guarantee improvements in infrastructure to cope with the \u201cintensification of use\u201d or mitigate against the effect on local residents.<\/p>\n

The councillors, who do not sit on the planning committee that will make the decision, highlight \u00adtransport, road closures and the cumulative effect of more concerts in addition to the sporting events held at Twickenham. They suggest the RFU should fully fund \u201cadditional public realm impacts\u201d.<\/p>\n

The letter, signed by councillors Katie Mansfield, Maria \u00adMargiotta and Jo Humphreys, says: \u201cWe \u00adrecognise the stadium\u2019s importance to Twickenham and accept that some increase in non-sporting events can be appropriate. [\u2026] However, we do not believe that the application yet \u00adprovides sufficient assurance that this intensification of use will be matched by the infrastructure and \u00admitigation necessary to \u00adaccommodate it, or that all necessary measures will be sufficiently specific, funded and enforceable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RFU can host three non-\u00adsporting events per year, but has applied for a phased increase to eight, spread over 15 event days, and to increase the maximum capacity from 55,000 to 75,000.<\/p>\n

The union points out it is a phased increase, with six non-sporting event days in year one and only one in midweek initially. The RFU says Richmond council would have the chance to introduce further mitigation measures as part of an annual operational review that would act as a failsafe mechanism.<\/p>\n

The union believes the additional revenue would be crucial<\/a> in helping to fund the planned \u00a3660m overhaul of Twickenham and has previously threatened to relocate if Richmond council does not grant the necessary permission. A document submitted as part of the planning application reads: \u201cif the RFU is unable to generate the revenues required to support the continued development of the game through its activities at Allianz Stadium, it would place increasing pressure on the long\u2011term sustainability of remaining in Twickenham\u201d. The RFU has also said hosting more concerts would underpin a \u00a3500m investment into rugby over the next five years and would generate an extra \u00a386m for the UK economy as well as increase spending in the local area by \u00a328.5m.<\/p>\n

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The submission by the councillors, which is neither in support nor opposition, but rather an observation, concludes that \u201cwe are not opposed to the stadium evolving its role as a major venue, and recognise the significant economic, cultural and wider benefits that this can bring [\u2026] However, the current proposal does not demonstrate how the proposed intensification of use will be mitigated by robust, enforceable and funded infrastructure improvements.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt present, the commitments offered do not provide sufficient confidence that Twickenham\u2019s infrastructure and residential environment can sustainably support the proposed increase in non-sporting events.\u201d<\/p>\n

The councillors go on to list a series of commitments they want made before adding: \u201cWe believe this would enable the stadium to continue to play an important role in Twickenham while ensuring that the needs of the local community and the capacity of the infrastructure supporting it are properly recognised. It should not be approved without the commitments necessary to achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The RFU points to how Wembley and Tottenham stadium can host 54 and 30 concerts a year respectively while Twickenham is limited to three. Opponents cite the example of the Emirates Stadium, however, and how Arsenal lost a high court battle in 2014 when attempting to increase the number of concerts a year from three to six.<\/p>\n

Much of the opposition centres around antisocial behaviour experienced on England matchdays as well as concerns over transport, air quality and noise disturbance. One local resident details in a planning submission how \u201cfour aggressive, inebriated gentlemen\u201d stole a For Sale sign from her front garden after a recent England match and, while two reluctantly returned it, they shouted insults as they did so.<\/p>\n

A petition against the proposal has reached 4,000 signatures, but the west London chamber of commerce has come out in support along with a number of local businesses, demonstrating how polarising the issue is.<\/p>\n

\u201cAllianz Stadium generates about 85% of the RFU\u2019s revenue, but needs significant investment to meet the expectations of a modern world-class venue, at a time when rugby itself needs a stronger financial footing,\u201d said a RFU spokesperson. \u201cOur planning application is about making better use of this national asset to unlock that investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe application is now with Richmond council and we are encouraged that more than 200 local residents and businesses have already written in support. We look forward to continuing to work closely with residents, the council and other local stakeholders throughout the process.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Rugby Football Union\u2019s bid to stage more concerts at \u00adTwickenham has been delivered a blow after local…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":870464,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":["post-870463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-rugby","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=870463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/870463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/870464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=870463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=870463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=870463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}