Gaydon-based bowls club set to stay on their site after six-year battle

The Avon Valley Indoor Bowls Club, which has 450 members, has been based in Gaydon since the 1970s. The club is on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) land and six years ago the club’s 2021 lease renewal was put under threat.

Now after years of negotiations and planning applications the club have signed a new 25 year lease.

The club currently gain access to their site via JLR land and needed a separate road for the club. Luckily for the club Severn Trent had applied to build a temporary road while it builds a sewage facility so the club were able to apply to make the road permanent.

Gregg Woodall, project manager, said: “It has been extremely hard work but we have had some good fortune, including receiving help from MP Jeremy Wright and because of Severn Trent building the temporary road where we wanted to put one, which has saved us some money.

“It took well over a year to go through all the highways consent and last week we received a new 25 year lease. It has been a massive task to get to where we have got to and we want to celebrate getting to this point. Now we are just about making the facilities more easily available to the community of south Warwickshire and for the community who enjoy playing bowls. We want people to know that we exist and we want to encourage people to come and have a go at playing indoor bowls.”

The new road to the club is due to be completed in November with a special grand opening event due to take place in January 2019.