Derbyshire council begins work on £46,000 revamp of park tennis courts

The doubles team of Derbyshire Dales District Council and the Lawn Tennis Association are breathing new life into the courts at Hall Leys Park, with work due to begin on Monday, May 15, and continue until early July.

A council spokesperson said: “We're delighted our Hall Leys Park courts have been selected for this investment by the LTA.

“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 for all.”

The project is part of a joint investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across the country in the hope of encouraging more people to take up the sport.

Altogether, thousands of park courts in poor or unplayable condition will be fully renovated and receive new additions such as gate-access technology and improved booking systems.

All courts and sessions at Hall Leys Park will be available to book online at www.lta.org.uk/play/book-a-tennis-court once the renovations have taken place – along with sessions at the council’s other courts at Bakewell Recreation Ground and Ashbourne Park, making it far easier to find and book a court or activity.

The new system will introduce a small booking fee, but the council says this will be used to build up a maintenance fund to keep the courts in good condition.

LTA chief operating officer Julie Porter said: “We are delighted to be working with Derbyshire Dales District Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active.

“This investment will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come. We will also be working closely with Derbyshire Dales 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.”

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