£½m tennis centre plans are revealed

Aug 29 2008 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PLANS to serve up a £500,000-plus tennis centre in East Perthshire were unveiled yesterday.

Rapidly expanding Blairgowrie Tennis Club hopes to relocate from the premises it has occupied for almost 90 years to a new, purpose-built base on an alternative site in the town.

Club coach and committee member Susan Whiteford told the PA that the tennis players were aiming to create a facility fit for the 21st century.

“The idea is that we need more courts because of increased membership,” Mrs Whiteford, who joined Blairgowrie 25 years ago, said yesterday.

“The courts were built in 1920 and are relatively close together. By improving the quality of the surfaces we can meet Lawn Tennis Association specifications.”

An outline planning application submitted to Perth and Kinross Council shows the 190-member club intends to up sticks from its traditional, prime site home to an unused 0.4-hectare plot of scrub land at the east end of the John Johnston Coupar Recreation Park, which lies further along Coupar Angus Road.

The new set-up would include a clubhouse, five all-weather courts, two mini-tennis courts and a hitting wall.

Meanwhile, separate papers reveal proposals to replace the old courts and clubhouse with a housing development, expected to total eight properties, in order to meet the lion’s share of relocation costs.

With estimates for the new tennis centre above £500,000, local fundraising would likely be required to help foot the bill.

Mrs Whiteford said the club, which has over 100 junior members, had already attracted interest from potential developers.

“The clubhouse will include facilities that can be used by the community, including a multi-purpose hall,” she said.

“Our current site does not allow us to develop the club to this extent.

“With the recent wet weather our blase courts have been more out of use than in. Hopefully we can be on the move as soon as next year.”