Building eight flats on the site of Fortis Green Tennis Club would “safeguard its long-term viability”, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A tennis club in Fortis Green could be getting new residential neighbours – but fewer tennis courts.

Charity United Reformed Church Thames North Trust and developer Fortis Green LLP have jointly submitted an application to Haringey Council to build eight residences along with a new clubhouse at Fortis Green Tennis Club.

The club, which is not connected with Fortis Green LLP, currently offers four clay tennis courts and a single story clubhouse. However, this will be reduced to three courts if the development goes ahead.

United Reformed Church owns the land and the tennis club leases it on a “short-term basis”. But according to the submitted planning statement, the tennis club is in an “unfortunate position with regards to its funding” and the housing scheme would “generate revenue and safeguard its long-term viability for the community”. 

The statement also says the four existing courts were not originally built to be “compliant” with Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) standards, adding the condition of the playing facilities is “extremely poor” and not “conducive to attracting new members”. 

If approved by Haringey Council, the four courts will be reduced to three, with the retained courts being relaid as “synthetic clay courts”.

The access point to the sports facility, a pedestrian pathway at 31 Southern Road, will be retained.

The single storey clubhouse and support facilities will be demolished and replaced with a three-storey building, with the new clubhouse on the ground floor and three of the eight residences situated above. 

There will be a one-bed flat and two-bed flat on the first floor and another two-bed on the second floor, while five terraced houses will be located to the south of the site along with car parking replacing the fourth tennis court. 

Four of the five homes will be four-bed and one a two-bed. The development does not include affordable housing. 

The scheme also provides five off-street parking bays, four standard and one disabled, along with cycling storage. A new site access for both pedestrians and vehicles will be located off Cherry Tree Road. 

To comment and find more information on the scheme visit Haringey Council’s planning portal, using reference number HGY/2024/0871.

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