Willmott Dixon has been appointed for a £3.5m contract to deliver a permanent 700 seat grandstand for Greene King IPA Championship side Moseley Rugby Club.

It's a statement of ambition for the club that play just one tier below the Aviva Premiership, the highest level in England, and has just had its best season in a decade. When completed in December, Moseley will provide more than 1,300 covered seats.

James Morris-Adams, Moseley Rugby Club President, said: "We're thrilled at the prospect of our new West Stand facility. This will provide our supporters and sponsors with a development that befits our standing as one of the top 20 clubs in English rugby. We've just finished our best season in many years and it is fitting that next season will see us being able to host visitors in a first rate environment. I'd like to pay tribute to the many individuals and organisations that worked so hard to raise the funds. This is a significant step in Moseley’s quest to get back to the very pinnacle of English rugby."

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The two storey stand will also house a new clubhouse, match viewing areas, catering facilities, changing rooms for Moseley's professional side, plus a weights room and a function room. Six further changing rooms are also being built as part of the project for their extensive amateur and junior rugby teams; these will also be available for use by the local community. Nick Gibb, pre-construction director at Willmott Dixon, said: "The development of the grandstand at Billesley Common is a major step forward in the city’s ambitions to develop a community sports hub. It’s a fantastic project for the club and the local community and we are bowled over to be involved."

The project, which is being managed on behalf of Birmingham City Council by Acivico Ltd, will also include construction of a national standard six-lane indoor bowls rink for the City of Birmingham Indoor Bowls Club. This will replace their former facility in Stirchley, which closed in 2012. Community changing rooms for users of Billesley Common will also form part of the works.

Funding for the development has come from a variety of sources. Birmingham City Council is providing funding towards the scheme through funds raised from the sale of Moseley’s former ground, The Reddings, at Reddings Road, Moseley, and the sale of the former Birmingham Indoor Bowls Centre, at Hazelwell Street, Stirchley, to Tesco.

(CD)