Teignbridge tennis courts to be refurbished

£250,000 for nine playing areas

Almost a quarter of a million pounds is to be invested in renovating nine Teignbridge park tennis courts.

The district council has teamed up with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to refurbish playing areas in Newton Abbott, Teignmouth and Buckfastleigh as part of a national drive to open up the sport and encourage more people to pick up rackets.

More than half of the funding comes from a nationwide investment by the government and the LTA Tennis Foundation to refurbish pthousands of park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition, as well as improving court accessibility through new gate-access technology and booking systems.

The remainder of the funding will come from money paid to Teignbridge by housing and construction companies as part of deals so they can planning approval.

Three courts at Forde Park in Newton Abbot will be refurbished followed by two at Duckspond Road in Buckfastleigh. The tennis court at Teignmouth Den and three at Newton Abbot’s Bakers Park will also be improved. Work will take up to three months.

A new online booking platform – used by local councils across the county - will be set up by Teignbridge which will operate an electronic access gate system so people can book and pay online and receive a code to access courts.  

Annual household family membership pass will cost £36 (for up to 10 family members) or infrequent players or visitors will be able to book at a cost of £6 per hour with rates discounted for those on income support. Money raised will go into a fund for future court maintenance.

Executive member for sport, recreation and culture, Cllr John Nutley, said: “We would not have been able to refurbish the courts to such standards without the LTA’s expertise and I hope that once refurbished, the courts will enable a new generation of talent to come forward while allowing residents and visitors who enjoy the sport to play more easily and often.

“To maintain the courts we need to introduce a charge but we have kept this as low as possible and all the money raised will be ploughed back into maintaining the courts and tennis related activities at them.”