Work is now under way to upgrade the tennis courts in Melksham, as part of Wiltshire Council’s multi-million-pound campus project.
The grass courts at the Melksham House site are being replaced by two new macadam courts, which ensures they will be playable throughout the year.
Work is expected to last for around four weeks and during this time, the area in front of Melksham House will be used as a site compound, but the remainder of the car park will be fully accessible for free parking as usual.
Melksham Tennis Club’s chair, Tricia Crapnell, who has been a member of the club since 1978, told Melksham News, “I am very excited for the new courts. We have been waiting years for these new courts – we have been using courts at River Mead School since 2017 – so we are very much looking forward to returning to the Melksham House site.”
The designs for Melksham Community Campus are at an advanced stage and include a six-lane swimming pool and a learner pool, fitness suite, dance studio, library and community hub, sports hall, a café and office space. This will be in addition to the cricket pitch, outdoor bowls and the new tennis courts, which will be located on the Melksham House site.
Earlier in the month Wiltshire Council held two well-attended public information drop-in days to speak to people about the plans and answer any questions.
A planning application for the project will be submitted by the end of March. A decision on the planning application is expected by the end of August this year. If the application is approved, then construction work is expected to start in early 2020. The project is due to be completed by mid-2021.
John Thomson, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for communities and leisure, said, “The installation of new tennis courts marks another milestone in the delivery of the Melksham Campus. Momentum is starting to build and our team enjoyed meeting local residents at the recent information days to talk more about the exciting plans.”
Above: (Back) Cllr Jon Hubbard, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for communities and leisure John Thomson, managing director of Chiltern Sports Contractors Andy Burrell and (front) Melksham Tennis Club chair Tricia Crapnell and secretary Eddy Watts.
