School gets go-ahead for new tennis centre

Ellesmere College has been granted planning permission for the new building, which will include changing rooms and will allow the college to offer its tennis academy all year.

Nick Pettingale, director of external relations at the fee-paying school, said: "This new development at Ellesmere is building on our very successful tennis academy, which is nationally recognised as a centre of excellence.

"Our students benefit from the very highest level of coaching and our girls, boys and mixed doubles teams have consistently been ranked first or second in the Aegon National School's Tennis Competition over the past five years.

"This new tennis centre will give us the ability to further enhance the skills of our talented tennis players and provide an all year round training programme."

The centre, which would be made up of four courts, would be built on grounds that are not used at the moment because the area becomes waterlogged after heavy rain. It would be away from the road and original college building.

The scheme also includes plans for a new car park to accommodate the centre with 40 spaces and three fully accessible parking spaces.

In its original plans, Ellesmere College said that the courts would be used "for both the internal curriculum and internal competitions as well as to host external college competitions".

It added: "The college provides an extensive tennis academy to the students all year round.

"We currently have open air tennis provision but the facility closes during periods of poor weather which has a detrimental effect on the curriculum.

"The new indoor facility will allow the college to provide tennis facilities all year round which will help them meet their business model by providing a tennis academy throughout the year.

"This facility will allow the college to compete with similar colleges in the region and nationwide who already offer tennis academies all year round."

It continued: "The college has suffered in the past where prospective students have gone to other institutions as the college could not provide the year-round facilities required.

"The facility will also be open to the public during the periods when the college is closed. The college already provides other sport provisions to the public and this new facility will meet the public requirements in the local area."