LONDON Welsh Rugby Club’s proposed move to Witney took another step forward this week.

The report on the club’s plan to take over the disused Witney Community Stadium put together by West Oxfordshire District Council planning officers says there are no significant obstacles to the proposal.

However, questions remain about how the surrounding area and Witney generally would cope with an influx of car-borne supporters on match days.

Both Curbridge and Lew Parish Council and the district council’s parking team have raised the issue and it is one that is likely to keep cropping up.

Officers have said this will be “key” to the proposals, giving the stadium’s owner, On The Edge, until just Monday to come up with more suggestions.

The firm’s current prediction that parking overflow could be fed into neighbouring land which it owns does not seem to have convinced the planners yet.

This seems to have allayed possible concerns from Oxfordshire County Council, which is responsible for highways. It has agreed that detailed event planning will be done for each match day.

If a solution can be found that will satisfy the district council’s lowlands planning sub-committee, the project is likely to move forward.

But the issue is time-sensitive – club spokesmen have pointed out that there is a limited window of opportunity for Rugby Football Union inspectors to approve the ground for use next season, should London Welsh achieve their goal of a return to the sport’s top division.

Football fans are also voicing support for the plans if the stadium’s return to use could help assist in the revival of a club bearing the town’s name.

But if the traffic issues are not addressed, it could all be over before a ball is kicked.