16 January 2009
Dear Councillor Fawcett,
Further to our brief conversation at Almscliffe Hall last Tuesday, as promised, I now write with details of our proposed ‘development’ of the existing ATBC (Almscliffe Tennis & Bowling Club) facilities which, hopefully, will assist you in supporting our planning application, later this year.
The ATBC has recently appointed Steve Peach as our designer, who is hoping to arrange a pre-application site meeting with a planning officer, within the next few weeks, prior to producing draft drawings for general membership approval. This should result in a final plan being submitted for planning approval in April.
The ATBC is hoping to build a new pavilion (to seat a minimum of 30 members with disabled facilities), combined with general site landscaping and the refurbishment of the two tennis courts, now owned by the Club. We hope to start the work in October with completion in April 2010 subject, of course, to planning consent.
As I believe you are aware, the ATBC started a fund raising campaign in early 2008 in order to purchase the Land it has leased since 1913. This has now been achieved but the success of the campaign, helped by a substantial donation which recently featured in the Harrogate Advertiser, has enabled us to review our existing facilities which, frankly, are now inadequate to support our growing membership and the local community in general.
Our Tennis section has about 150 members, which includes 40 junior members aged from 6 to 14 who all benefit from regular coaching sessions during the summer months. The Bowling section has about 50 members, aged from 14 to 86, with 5 teams playing in the Harrogate and District League. Improved facilities would continue the trend of attracting new members and enable the Club to host higher profile league competitions. In addition, we would like to see the facilities opened up for use by the North Rigton Primary School, perhaps as an after school activity.
In summary, the ATBC is attempting not only to provide essential sports facilities but also create a focal point for the growing local community, being an extension of those provided by Almscliffe Hall. Other than the £8,500 ‘Awards For all Funding’, which you kindly helped us secure, the balance funds have been raised by the Club from the local community and, amidst all the recent gloom, can be viewed as a great success story which I am sure you will support at Council Level.
If I may, I shall keep you informed of developments but, in the meantime, please do just let me know should you require any further information. I also enclose our original Appeal Leaflet for your information and, dependant upon how everything progresses, we hope to produce an update for the local community, later this year.
Yours sincerely,
Carl Bushby
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