Peterborough's tennis courts set for major refurbishment with £120,000 of funding

Six tennis courts in Peterborough are to be refurbished thanks to a new partnership between Peterborough City Council and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The link-up will see the courts at Central Park and Itter Park renovated to ensure that quality facilities are available for the local community.

Four courts at Central Park will be resurfaced, and two courts at Itter Park will be re-painted and have new fencing installed. Smart gates will also be installed at both venues, making it easy to book and reserve courts and activities online.

Alongside the investment, Peterborough City Council will be partnering with a tennis operator and working 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.

All courts and sessions will be available to book online via the LTA website and app.

Work at Central Park is anticipated to start this month and be completed in time for summer.

Councillor Saqib Farooq, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for Adults and Health, said: "We are fully committed to ensuring that our public sports facilities are accessible and of a high standard, so that our communities can benefit from using them. As a keen tennis player myself, this is very welcome news!

"I'm looking forward to seeing this work completed and the re-vamped courts open for summer. They will be great additions to Central and Itter Parks, which are already popular and award-winning venues that we are lucky to have in Peterborough."

Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said: “We are delighted to be working with Peterborough City 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 Peterborough City 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.”

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 the country 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.

In addition to investment of over £100,000 from the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, circa £20,000 will also be invested by Peterborough City Council.