Council Responses to Ben Bradshaw MP

Ben wrote to Devon County Council and Exeter City Council following Jim’s visit to one of Ben’s constituency surgeries, and has obtained illuminating responses on behalf of the Club.  Copies of these responses have been distributed to the Summerway email groups.  It is believed that Ben requested information regarding the fate of the plans for expansion which were lodged with Local Government in 1999.

These responses require detailed analysis.  As a temporary measure, the text of Local Government’s replies is posted below, to which analysis and comment will be added (DV) at a later date.

Devon County Council to Ben Bradshaw Esq MP at The House of Commons

Dated:  03 Apr 2007

Ref: AW/CC/CAP/SC

Dear Ben

Summerway Junior Lawn Tennis Club

Thank you for your letter dated 16 March 2007. I believe that copies of the plans to which you refer are still lodged with the County's Sports Development Office and could be made available if requested.

At the time the plans were submitted there was considerable uncertainty over the future of the site and, in any event, the exclusive nature of the club appeared incompatible with the City's open space/recreation policies and, most likely, with potential grant funding.

I understand that the formal transfer of the land to Exeter City is now imminent, with the Tennis Club having surrendered its tenancy and vacated the site, hence it may be more appropriate to seek the City's view, as they will shortly become custodians.

Yours sincerely

Anne Whiteley

Director of Children & Young People's Services

Exeter City Council to Ben Bradshaw MP at Labour Headquarters

Dated:  11 Apr 2007

Ref: HB/IC/JM

Dear Ben

Summerway Junior Lawn Tennis Club

Thank you for your letter to John Rigby dated 16 March received on 19 March 2007. In 2003 or 2004, quite soon after we provisionally agreed with Devon County Council to swop Summerway School Playing Field (which includes the courts and clubhouse) for Northbrook Field, our Leisure Manager met Jim Harle at Summerway to explain the forthcoming changes and to explore the implications for the club. At that time Mr Harle provided us with a copy of the club's 1999 proposals, which included expanding from two to six courts. Our intention was (and still is) to create a new public open space (Summerway Park). We felt that four additional courts would be too intrusive, making the new park too small, and making too big an exclusive area for the tennis club. We also questioned whether the city needed additional courts as we were then just completing the new Tennis Centre at the University which now has four indoor and six outdoor courts. Also, we understand that the Lawn Tennis Association had said that they would not fund the proposals as the club did not meet its criteria, and there was little prospect of lottery funding for the project (although lottery funding might have been more likely back in 1999). Having considered the club's expansion proposals we felt that the new park was both a greater priority and readily achievable.

We have had a number of lengthy discussions and correspondence with the club, in the course of which we suggested a package that would enable the club to continue into the future and at the same time that would be acceptable to the Council. That package included making the courts available for free use by the general public during the times that the club did not need them, the Council would maintain the courts as it does others in the city, and the club would be responsible for maintaining its pavilion. Although there were financial implications for the club, we made it clear that the Council could be very flexible in what it charges (e.g. for pavilion rent and use of the courts) and the costs could be significantly reduced as long as the Council's objectives for the community were being delivered satisfactorily. Our aim was to provide the best terms we could for the club, but within the general parameters of our agreements with other clubs around the city which occupy City Council land.

During the last year or two Mr Harle has sent a number of long emails to all City and County Councillors, criticising what "local government" has done and how it has failed the club. He has consistently ignored our point that we have to be even-handed with all similar clubs, and argued that our unwillingness to pick up all the costs arising from the property was a sign of rank commercialism. This approach has hardly fostered a partnership approach to finding a solution and in our view the relationship between the City Council and Mr Harle has irretrievably broken down. We have tried to engage the club's secretary, who has been very reasonable and good to liaise with, but I understand that she recently resigned as secretary and from the committee.

The club has now returned its keys to Devon County Council and it is no longer a tenant of the site. Given what has happened, we are wondering whether the best recovery package might be the formation of a new tennis club, perhaps even with some of the existing committee (although we would be very reluctant to engage with any group which contained Mr Harle) taking on a 'shadow' role, and jointly developing a new club that embraces the new situation at the site and exploits the new opportunities that the current circumstances could provide.

If it transpires that we cannot agree terms for a tennis club, the courts will be opened to the public for unlimited free use, and we will probably either convert the pavilion into something usable for the community or demolish it.

Yours sincerely

Alan Caig

pp Hazel Ball

Director Community and Environment

Cc: Portfolio Holder Environment and Leisure, Members File, General File

Site Navigator

ECC Response

Top of Page