Hi All
A quick email to bring you up to speed with the situation regarding the bridge.
By the end of last week we had made investigations regarding the Club's liability for members of the public should we take over ownership - something we hadn't had time to do, given the Council's time-frame for a reply after they had proposed the week before that we buy the bridge. These investigations informed us that our LTA Affiliation would cover both members and non-members, should we own the bridge. As this was only confirmed last Friday and with the Council meeting yesterday evening, I sent them an email over the weekend to say that, this being the case, if the offer to buy was repeated, then we would proceed but on the understanding that we would not need to put gates at either end and that members of the public would also be allowed access over it. In other words, things would go back to the way they were, only this time the Club would own and be responsible for the bridge's upkeep.
The Agenda for yesterday's meeting was to look at having the bridge removed + to discuss having a footpath put in. However in light of the latest developments, it was proposed that discussions regarding the bridge should be deferred until the next meeting (March 24th), to allow both sides time to fully explore the implications of the Tennis Club taking over the bridge.
So the saga continues but I'm hopeful that we'll arrive at the right outcome in the end. It does mean that we'll be without the bridge for the time being but we are still planning for a full programme for 2014 and the courts are still getting plenty of use during the winter - when the weather allows it!
You might be interested to know that Club Minutes going back to 1960 show that the Recreation Trust was planning to put in the bridge as means of access to the Tennis Club. Although it was meant for club members only, Club Minutes from March + September 1961 show that members of the public were also using it.
Many thanks for your patience and support.
Regards
Martin Godwin (Club Chairman)
A quick email to bring you up to speed with the situation regarding the bridge.
By the end of last week we had made investigations regarding the Club's liability for members of the public should we take over ownership - something we hadn't had time to do, given the Council's time-frame for a reply after they had proposed the week before that we buy the bridge. These investigations informed us that our LTA Affiliation would cover both members and non-members, should we own the bridge. As this was only confirmed last Friday and with the Council meeting yesterday evening, I sent them an email over the weekend to say that, this being the case, if the offer to buy was repeated, then we would proceed but on the understanding that we would not need to put gates at either end and that members of the public would also be allowed access over it. In other words, things would go back to the way they were, only this time the Club would own and be responsible for the bridge's upkeep.
The Agenda for yesterday's meeting was to look at having the bridge removed + to discuss having a footpath put in. However in light of the latest developments, it was proposed that discussions regarding the bridge should be deferred until the next meeting (March 24th), to allow both sides time to fully explore the implications of the Tennis Club taking over the bridge.
So the saga continues but I'm hopeful that we'll arrive at the right outcome in the end. It does mean that we'll be without the bridge for the time being but we are still planning for a full programme for 2014 and the courts are still getting plenty of use during the winter - when the weather allows it!
You might be interested to know that Club Minutes going back to 1960 show that the Recreation Trust was planning to put in the bridge as means of access to the Tennis Club. Although it was meant for club members only, Club Minutes from March + September 1961 show that members of the public were also using it.
Many thanks for your patience and support.
Regards
Martin Godwin (Club Chairman)
