A TENNIS club has had to redesign plans to replace its crumbling timber club house on cost grounds.
Plans for a replacement club house at Chepstow Tennis Club were approved in July 2021 but while a new court and floodlights, also given planning permission at the same time, have been put in place progress on the new base has stalled.
Ben Durman, of the Mathern Road club, said costs for a replacement building had risen since being approved. It now intends to use a prefabricated design as a cheaper alternative.
“The new plans are a third of the price,” of the originally approved design said Mr Durman who added the club had sought the advice of a quantity surveyor to manage costs and ensure it could afford the development.
The club has now asked that plans for the alternative club house be approved as an amendment to the original application, which is being considered by Monmouthshire County Council’s planning department.
“We hope to be able to go full steam ahead with fundraising once the planning permission hopefully comes through,” said Mr Durman who said the club has around 50 per cent of the required funding and will be looking for support from grant giving bodies.
The application states the “originally approved clubhouse design would cost in excess of” what the “small, not-for-profit community sports club” could realistically afford.
Instead it is proposing a “more affordable ‘off-the-shelf’ solution provided by Quick Garden Limited”.
The application adds: “This revised option offers a similar internal floor space and a clean, modern aesthetic, while remaining financially achievable for the club. The amendment will enable us to provide improved disability friendly facilities for members and the local community without compromising the viability of the project.”
The club, which has around 300 members, including some 120 under 18, has already added a fourth court, for juniors with a practice wall, and LED floodlights in line with the originally approved application.
