Weymouth Football Club has bought back the land around the Bob Lucas Stadium after 18 years and wants to put a full-size 3G pitch on the old training ground.

Weymouth Football Club owns the land around its own ground again, for the first time in 18 years.

The club announced that it has bought back the land around the Bob Lucas Stadium on Radipole Lane, in its own name. The statement was issued by chairman Ralph Ricardo on behalf of the board.

“Many supporters will have assumed the club owned the surrounding land as well as the stadium,” he said. “I’m proud to say the club now owns both.”

The club has not said what it paid or how much land the deal covers. The board thanked the housebuilder Lovell “for working with us to bring the land back to Weymouth FC”.

What the club wants to do with it

The first aim is a full-size 3G pitch on the old training pitch behind the ground, which was in use when the stadium opened in 1987. The club’s plans, as set out in the statement, are:

  • a full-size 3G pitch on the old training ground
  • more space for its women’s and girls’ teams to train and play
  • a home at the stadium for its youth teams
  • use of the pitch by local schools, teams and community groups
  • a look at “what other sporting facilities would serve the town well”

The stadium already hosts the men’s first team, the club’s women’s team and Bournemouth Women. The chairman said more use through the week “would generate income to reinvest in the club and help secure its future”.

Why the land matters

The land around the stadium has been the subject of housing plans for more than a decade. Dorset Council’s planning register records:

Application What was proposed Outcome
1/D/12/001763 Redevelop the stadium, training pitch and car park with 150 to 170 homes and a convenience store Refused, October 2013
WD/D/14/001938 Redevelop the stadium, training pitch and car park with 150 to 170 homes Outline permission granted, October 2014
WD/D/17/002597 Detailed plans under the 2014 permission Refused February 2020, appeal dismissed
P/FUL/2022/05244 32 affordable homes on land next to the stadium Withdrawn, January 2023

None of those schemes was built, and the club still plays at the stadium. Its statement makes no mention of housing.

The stadium sits in Chickerell parish, on Weymouth’s north-western edge. A separate outline application for up to 360 homes on land north of Weymouth West Police Station, also on Radipole Lane, has been under consideration since July (P/OUT/2026/03607). It is a different site, and the club’s statement does not refer to it.

What it means for you

No planning application for a 3G pitch at the stadium appears on the council’s register yet. When one is lodged, residents will be able to comment on it there.

Schools, clubs and groups interested in using the ground can contact the club through its website.