As the treasurer of Old Basing Tennis Club I write in support of the recent letter urging the Old Basing and Lychpit Parish Council (the PC) to reconsider their previous decision and grant permission for the Old Basing Tennis Club to install court lighting.

In September 2021 the PC voted five-two in favour of us applying for planning permission; we thought this meant they supported us in having court lighting but, in fact, what it meant was that they were happy for us to spend 10 months and nearly £6,000 to date with our agent working on the design, submitting and working through the planning application, not to mention the cost and time incurred by the planning office and all the other consultees, to name but a few of those involved. The PC were one of the consultees involved in this process and raised a number of objections, all of which were considered by BDBC and found to be resolved by changes we made to the design (e.g. adding louvres to reduce light spillage), of insignificant impact or simply irrelevant. The PC refused to discuss their objections with us at the time and now say that the BDBC planning office have made the wrong decision.

READ MORE: LETTER: Why the parish council should reconsider tennis club lights

Whilst they are the nominal landowners, they own the land on behalf of, and for use by, the parish residents, and their duties are to represent the local community, deliver services to meet local needs and to improve the quality of life in the parish. Having this lighting on our courts fulfils all three of these objectives and in blocking it the PC are failing to fulfil their duties.

A number of years ago the PC asked the tennis club to move to an independent status so that the PC no longer have to support the club financially or maintain the courts. In this arrangement the PC really need to let the club have the autonomy that they themselves requested. The club will pay for and maintain the lights and remove them from the Parish land when our lease expires.

SEE ALSO: Chairman of Old Basing Tennis Club frustrated at floodlight rejection

As a club want we to work constructively with the parish council for the benefit of everyone. We have made as many concessions and compromises as we can to address their concerns whilst at the same time gaining the benefit from the lights and ensuring the club’s sustainability. Surely, in the long term the PC would much rather see a flourishing tennis club as a community asset rather than a derelict set of courts. We simply cannot understand why they do not want this project to proceed.

Jane Reap

Treasurer of Old Basing Tennis Club

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