Overview
- Bath Rugby, which Monday submitted a planning amendment, wants permission to reorder the approved build so the East Stand is constructed first and the overall programme is reduced to about 18 months.
- The club says it remains on track to start construction in 2027 and aims to open the expanded 18,000-seat stadium for the 2028–29 season.
- To enable the faster timetable, Bath will take its last two regular 2026/27 home fixtures — rounds 16 and 18 against Harlequins and Saracens — to alternative venues that have not yet been confirmed.
- The accelerated plan keeps the previously approved East and West stand designs and requires moving the pitch roughly 25 metres inside The Rec before the 2027/28 season.
- Bath frames the change as a way to limit disruption for residents and local businesses but warns that any home play-off matches in 2026/27 could also need relocation depending on fixture outcomes and venue agreements.