Local park tennis courts in Arun set for improvements
Arun District Council and the Lawn Tennis Association LTA) have announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. In total, 4 park tennis courts will be improved with investment of nearly £60,000 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 brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works, and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.
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.
Alongside the investment, Arun District Council, Tivoli and local tennis providers will also work with the LTA to deliver a range of activity across the park sites. This will include weekly, organised, free park tennis 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 park venues being renovated are: Swansea Gardens, Bognor Regis, with new gate access technology also being installed at Blakes Road, Felpham, Norfolk Gardens, Littlehampton, and Maltravers Park, Littlehampton, as part of the investment.
All courts and sessions at all sites will be available to book online via the LTA website Search & book a tennis court | LTA making it far easier to find and book a court or activity.
Work on sites is anticipated to start and be completed this Summer 2023.
Councillor Sue Wallsgrove, Chair of the Environment Committee said:
“This is a fantastic boost to our local sports facilities, making tennis far more accessible to Arun residents. Encouraging people to get out, and active in the fresh air, perhaps try a new sport and enjoy our parks while they are at it, must have a positive impact on mental, as well as physical health.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Arun 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 Arun District Council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court, and open up our sport to many more people.