Will uni house tennis academy?
We note that Stirling University in March unveiled plans for the £20 million re-development of its sports facilities. This poses the question: will the re-vamped sporting set-up at the university include a new tennis academy.
It was suggested in an article on BBC Sport, that Stirling University may be the venue for a Tennis Academy funded by the Lawn Tennis Association .
We believe a large investment in tennis at Stirling University is likely to reduce the chance of funding for another tennis centre three miles away at Park of Keir.
The proposed sports facilities were highly dependent on getting at least £8 million funding from bodies such as Sportscotland and Tennis Scotland, and only about £2 million was being provided by the houses which were claimed to be essential to subsidise the project.
We have produced a graphic to illustrate the funding model based on figures given at the public inquiry. This can be seen on No Housing on Park of Keir Facebook page.
There is speculation surrounding Judy Murray’s ongoing involvement. She claimed the sports facilities would be “not for profit”, affordable and accessible but if the tennis centre were to be run by someone else then it would be a commercial operation which cannot fulfil these criteria.
And if it is no longer a ‘Murray’ tennis centre, where is the justification for approval on grounds of ‘National Importance’?
If the developer cannot guarantee to meet these conditions, as stipulated by the Minister, then the development cannot be allowed to proceed ; the application must be refused.
This application and appeal has been hanging over us for four years now. We would like some clarity.
Inga Bullen, RAGE (Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion)