‘A huge milestone’: Cork tennis club given the go-ahead for significant revamp

One of Cork’s leading tennis clubs has been given the go-ahead for a significant revamp, marking “a huge milestone” in its history.

Last year, Bishopstown Lawn Tennis Club lodged a planning application with Cork City Council seeking permission for a series of upgrade works.

“We are delighted to have been granted planning permission to upgrade our courts and lights, add two new padel courts and expand our clubhouse as per our submitted development plans,” development officer at the club, Joe Murray, told The Echo.

“Given that the planners have refused our application to cover three of our courts we will sit down now as a committee to assess our options going forward,” he continued.

There are a number of routine conditions attached to Cork City Council’s approval of the works, with city planners refusing the club’s proposal to cover three of its courts for indoor play on the basis that this particular element would constitute a “discordant design approach” and that it would be contrary to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.

However, Mr Murray said the green light for the rest of the upgrade works will be transformative for the club which received a major boost last month with the announcement of a €150,000 injection for redevelopment from the Sports Capital Grant.

“The planning and the grants mark a huge milestone in the history of our club.

“What this means for our club is that we can finally replace our ageing courts and lights and add the new mini/padel courts.

“We are hoping by the end of this year that all this work will be completed and we can then look at fundraising for the clubhouse expansion,” he said.

Mr Murray said it is envisaged that works to the club will be carried out on a phased basis with as little impact to members as possible.

Bishopstown Lawn Tennis Club, established in 1979, has seen its numbers climb significantly in the last few years.

“We are very proud of our club and we have seen a huge interest in people looking to join and play tennis in recent years.

“Our club plays a very important role in the community of Bishopstown and we have members from the age of four to 84,” Mr Murray said.

“We are running various programmes at the club such as our Junior Coaching and ‘Team Up For Tennis’ in conjunction with Down Syndrome Cork.

“We also have partnerships with local schools and groups which allow them to use our facilities.”