URL: https://rutlandcounty.moderngov.co.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=958

Decision Maker: Strategic Director for Places

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose: The Council holds S106 funding for the area for the purposes proposed . The four tennis courts were built in 2015 after a fundraising campaign. By 2016 a small new tennis club for Uppingham was formed to enable people of the town and nearby villages to play tennis and enjoy coaching. Every year since the club has increased its membership numbers and the club is now a thriving resource open to everyone. Member fees are very low (£65 for an adult) which means it is widely accessible. RTA play and train all year round and competes in the Leicestershire LTA leagues which run throughout the year. Its members’ ages run from teenagers to people in their 80s, many of whom have returned to or taken up tennis in order to improve their fitness and enjoy the social side of being members of a club. The courts are now nine years old and the surface paint has lost much of its non-slip protection. When there has been rain, especially during the autumn and winter, the ageing surface is far from ideal and teams visiting from other clubs resent playing on it. Unless it is professionally cleaned and repainted with LTA-standard paint the club will have to withdraw from playing in leagues and may well have to cease using UCC’s courts completely. The publicly accessible courts at Uppingham School do not have floodlights, so the club cannot relocate there. If the club had to leave UCC it would have to disband as there is no suitable alternative venue. Both UCC and RTA value very highly the partnership that has built up and how their arrangement enables substantial and frequent community use of the school’s sports facilities. RTA uses the courts more than the school’s PE department do. To reflect that, both the school and the club are putting £3,000 each towards this project. If Rutland County Council were to approve our application for £2,000, we would be able to proceed with the work this summer and guarantee the future of the club for years to come.

Content:

Date of Decision: July 15, 2024