Major project for town tennis courts

Public tennis courts in Spalding are set to benefit from major improvements thanks to a national scheme.

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has offered a £101,442 grant towards the scheme for the existing courts in Ayscoughfee Gardens.
South Holland District Council had previously agreed to contribute £20,000 towards the project.
“The funding on offer provides a unique opportunity to secure the refurbishment of a key leisure resource in South Holland in order to increase engagement and participation in physical activity and further enhance the offer and draw to the magnificent hall and gardens at Ayscoughfee,” says a report going before cabinet members of the district council on Tuesday (June 6).
In October 2021 the government and Lawn Tennis Association announced the launch of a £30m funding package to refurbish more than 4,500 public tennis courts around the country.
“In order to qualify for grant funding initially, the council had to confirm that it would provide a £20,000 match,” the report adds.
The work includes the installation of an electric gate with a lock activated by a phone app and will be carried out in this financial year.
The £20,000 of council money will be put towards replacing the fencing as the work is outside the scope of the LTA grant, which will pay for the complete renovation of the courts and for the electronic gate system.
If the cabinet members support the scheme, the future management of the courts will also need resolving.
Council officers will work with portfolio holders to ensure the courts are sustainable and offer value to the community and value for money for the district council.
“This will have a positive impact on reputation, with SHDC seen as an exemplar in refurbishing and promoting the use of community tennis courts,” the reports says.
A report by the LTA which is included with the agenda for the meeting, says 19 per cent of park players don’t play more often due ‘poor quality’ courts.
The vast majority (83 per cent) of people using park courts see it as a social event and almost three-quarters are beginners or improvers.
Under its initiative to bring tennis to a wider audience, the association says an online booking tool and electronic access is the best way forward.
The measures can be used for free court use, if required.
“Placing a value on a court means every court is made available, ensuring maximum capacity,” it says.
Its report into the provision of South Holland’s park courts says they are “classed as poor or in unplayable condition.”
There is no re-investment plan and it says the public tennis courts would be in critical condition within the next two years.
Players also have no way to locate and book a local court which could also be susceptible to mis-use and vandalism.