I believe it is important to make it clear that the old showground where Oakham Rugby Club and Royce Rangers currently play is owned by the Rutland Agricultural Society. Oakham Rugby Club is the sole tenant of the society.

The society has entered into an agreement with Hawksmead that, should planning permission be granted on the old showground, the society will purchase the parcel of land owned by Hawksmead north of the bypass. The society has also agreed with its tenant, Oakham Rugby Football Club, to provide it with sporting facilities superior to those it enjoys at present. In turn, the rugby club has, I understand, agreed to provide space for Royce Rangers and the athletics club at its possible new location.

The society is a charity whose main aims are to hold an annual show and to promote agriculture within Rutland. The success of the show means the current picturesque site at Burley-on-the-Hill is no longer adequate to cope with the number of livestock and horse entries, trade stands, spectators and the demands of modern traffic. The society has, therefore, had to look for an alternative site which we believe we have found on the land owned by Hawksmead north of the bypass.

In addition to establishing a permanent showground and providing a new home for the rugby club, the society could possibly offer short term tenancies of small areas of land to young farmers as their first step on the ladder to an agricultural career. The society is also mindful of the fact that Rutland does not have the facilities to attract outdoor events to the county – equine or cattle/sheep breed society events, for example. Very early discussions have already been held to see if the new showground could be useful as part of the annual International Bird Watching Fair.

Two or three events each year would bring considerable benefit to Rutland's economy and further enhance the county's rich attraction for tourism.

Jeremy Skipper
Chairman,
Rutland Agricultural Society


Further to your request for opinions in the Rutland Times last week I totally disagree with the proposed sports field outside the Oakham bypass, and the whole concept of a major urban extension to the north-west of Oakham, for the following reasons: Loss of countryside/agricultural land and the proposal to build 1000 houses demonstrates a total lack of joined-up thinking bearing in mind: A: There will be a significant increase in traffic coming into Oakham from Barleythorpe which will cause long tailbacks of traffic at the level crossing and B: There will be a potential significant increase in rail travel as the bread-winners in the 1,000 houses commute to Leicester, Peterborough, London or wherever.

But there is an acute shortage of parking at Oakham station – are rail commuters expected to walk from Barleythorpe to Oakham station?

Philip Hield
Cricket Lawns,
Oakham