Tennis courts in Egerton Park are to get a new lease of life thanks to Government and LTA investment of more than £100,000.

Rother District Council has agreed a partnership with the LTA to renovate five tennis courts at the park, helping ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.

The project is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain, and open up the sport to many more people.

This investment will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition transformed for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.

Cllr Hazel Timpe, the district council’s portfolio holder for neighbourhood services and tourism, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to ensure our courts are fit for the future, continue to provide valuable opportunities for our residents to stay active and can be booked with ease. 

“Whilst the council is not in a position to make any financial capital investment, we fully support the project and will cover the ongoing costs of operating the gate system and court maintenance.”

“We are grateful to the LTA for supporting our application and recognising the value of the courts to our community and in enabling initiatives such as Tennis for Free to be successful.”

Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits to participants. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical to opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.

The courts are undergoing extensive work to ensure viability for years to come, including repainting, new fencing, new nets and posts and a new gate system. All courts will be available to book at www.lta.org.uk/play/ with the new booking systems and gate access technology making it easier to get on court by booking in advance to guarantee availability. 

Rother District Council and a local coaching provider will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activity at the site. This will include weekly organised Tennis for Free sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience where equipment is provided, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or their own racket. Local Tennis Leagues will also provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through local competition. 

The LTA has set up a dedicated webpage for residents to learn more about how they can support on the delivery of these events.  This can be found at www.lta.org.uk/roles-and-venues/parks-support-toolkit/free-park-tennis/

Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Rother District Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active. This investment is part of the UK Government and LTA’s Parks Tennis Project and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come.

“We will also be working closely with Rother District Council to ensure that the local community has a range of accessible opportunities to get on court and open up our sport to many more people.”

Work is scheduled to begin in early November with work expected to be finished towards the end of the year.  Final line marking of the courts will not be completed until early spring 2024 when the weather is more suitable, but there will be temporary line marking in the interim.

Once work is finished, all courts and sessions at Egerton Park will be available to book online via the LTA website www.lta.org.uk/play making it easier to find and book a court or activity. 

Ends.

Published: 24th October 2023