As stated previously, at the Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 17 April “The promise was given to maintain communication with members about these developments.”
The committee has been extended to include a Trustee and now includes the following roles:
- Disposal of Old Courts – Bill Sansom
- Acquisition of the new courts – Will Burgess
- Fundraising – Richard Ingham
- Communication – David McPartlin
- Advice and Guidance – Kevin Tighe
- Trustees Representative – Brian Gibson
Numerous and various meetings have been held involving:
- The Project committee.
- C&A Tennis Club committee.
- Ailsworth Parish Council.
- Castor Parish Council.
- Castor and Ailsworth Sports and Recreation Association (CASPRA).
- Nene Park Trust.
- A number of neighbours of the current courts to discuss our plans.
- Lawn Tennis Association representatives.
- City Council officers.
- Professional and legal advisers.
- Other local tennis clubs.
We have:
- Sought advice about tax and VAT from Sport England.
- Continued to seek advice concerning an application for planning permission to place the Holme Close courts in a “market ready” position.
- Sought professional and legal advice about a sale.
- Pursued the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status to mitigate any potential issues with Capital Gains tax, etc.
- Received details of the LTA proposals for expanding indoor courts and been very disappointed to discover that, despite talks in recent months of “positive discrimination” in favour of Peterborough, that the city had not been recognised as a priority area.
- Considered the advantages and disadvantages of different court surfaces including a visit to Aylesbury on Tuesday 16 July to consider the different surfaces available at Halton Sports Structures. We are now in the process of recommending artificial grass courts at the next Committee meeting on Tuesday 3 September.
- Undertaken detailed financial and business planning.
- Communicated with Nene Park Trust and are close to agreeing heads of terms to secure land suitable for 6 courts on a long term lease basis together with a shared clubhouse facility.
- Received the support of Ailsworth and Castor Parish Councils and the Castor and Ailsworth Sports and Recreation Association (CASPRA) in their formal minutes.
- Investigated grants and sponsorships from a number of local and national organisations and sought professional help with identifying and accessing the available funds.
The date of the next meeting of the Project Committee is 4th December 2019.
If you have questions about these developments then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Project committee.
David McPartlin