COUNCILLORS have agreed to award Wellington Rugby Club a £2,000 grant to help it buy an extra piece of land – although there are concerns they might look foolish if it is sold for millions in the years ahead.

An application had been received by Wellington Town Council for a grant towards the acquisition of Beech Grove field – a parcel of land which adjoins the rugby club’s Athletic Ground.

The land is owned by Somerset County Council, but has now been offered for sale to the club and is intended to be developed for new much-needed pitches to accommodate the ever-growing numbers of young people wishing to play rugby.

But although councillors were in favour of supporting the club, some felt that there should be legal conditions put on the requested £2,000 grant.

“This grant is to help the club buy a piece of land rather than improving, for example, changing facilities,” said Cllr John Thorne at the town council’s finance committee on Monday (Dec 3).

“If the club decides to move in the future that land could become somewhere a developer might interested in for housing and suddenly that lands becomes a lot more valuable than it is at the moment.

“We should put a condition on awarding the grant that should the land be sold we not only get the £2,000 repaid, but also the interest accrued. I know we would have to take legal advice over this.”

Not all the councillors shared the same view that conditions should be placed on the grant.

But Cllr Marcus Barr said: “We don’t know what will happen over the next five or ten years.”

And Cllr Mark Lithgow said: “We would look stupid if we gave £2,000 to the club and then in years to come the land is sold for a million.”

The Mayor, Cllr Gary James, was certainly against imposing any conditions on awarding the grant.

“The cost of drawing up legal agreements would cost a lot more than any interest we might get back,” he said. “The club has been looking to get this piece of land for many years.

“I am very happy to support the club with £2,000 – but for us to go down the legal road over this is ridiculous.”

The finance committee voted in support of awarding the grant under the proviso that it would be repaid along with interest if the land was sold within a ten-year period up to the end of 2028.

But that decision was overturned by the full council when it met later on Monday evening.

Cllr Bob Bowrah said: “It is long overdue and a move forward for the rugby club.”

Cllr Will Brown added: “The club has been wanting to do this for a long time.”

But Cllr John Thorne, sticking to his original argument that conditions should be place on the grant, said: “I’m not thinking that the land would be sold, but just thinking about what could happen if it does. If the club has no plans on doing that then they have nothing to worry about.”

The full council voted in favour of awarding the £2,000 grant without any legal conditions in the possible event of the land being sold for development.