Upcoming developments at the Club
Squash court building
Over the years this building has suffered considerably with subsidence, causing a number of structural issues. The Board of Directors have now committed to a programme of works to provide a long-term solution to the problem and improve facilities.
Firstly, towards the end of March, we will be supporting the foundations with a geopolymer injection process. This should help to avoid large scale movement of the building during extended dry spells, which have become more frequent.
Secondly, we will be repairing and stabilising the external south and west walls by insertion of steel rods in the brickwork. The internal crack on court 2 will also be repaired using the same technique, and the inner and outer walls will be reset with new cavity ties.
Finally, new floors will be laid in both squash courts, and maintenance carried out to the tins and walls to bring the facilities up to date. The full works should be completed over the next six months.
This represents a major investment – around £85,000 – in order to secure an extended lifespan for the building. The Board considers this good value, recognising the significant part the Squash/Racketball section plays in the Club, as well as the importance of the building in other matters, including wet weather provision for junior tennis activities, changing/toilet facilities, and utilities, such as floodlight controls.
Tennis court floodlighting
The final set of old-style floodlighting on courts 6 & 7 is scheduled to be replaced on Tuesday 7 March. The work will take a couple of days so the courts will be closed until 4pm on Wednesday 8 March. This will mean that all seven current courts have been upgraded to LED.
Whilst this saves on energy costs, just a reminder to switch off the floodlights after you leave the court. Please do not assume someone else will do so as this still wastes energy. Also, do not leave to go off on timer without switching off, as this will result in the lights coming on again in the morning.
New tennis court 8
We are now in planning with the London Borough of Bromley to build a new tarmacadam tennis court on the site of the former croquet lawn. Communications with the Council appear to be a little slow at the moment, as are contractor lead times, but we are optimistic that we can start construction over the summer.
Initially, the court will not have floodlighting, but will be marked out with two pickleball courts for those recent converts.
Please keep an eye out for updates regarding all of the above, and feel free to contact me for me further information.
Dez Lewington
Club Manager
Contact – dez.lewington@sltcc.co.uk
