TENNIS courts in Wirral parks will benefit from major investment that would improve facilities and secure their long term future.

The £300,000 funding is being provided by the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) with the aim of bringing and retaining public tennis courts to a good standard of playability for the benefit of local communities.

In Wirral this will see improvements made to 36 courts across 12 different parks tennis sites in the borough.

All sites will get a new access gate system that links to the LTA’s booking system, while courts that are in the poorest condition will be resurfaced and others renovated and improved in different ways.

Alongside this investment, Wirral Council will work with the LTA and partners to introduce a new way of managing tennis in parks that will aim to increase participation through better programming, engagement with communities and keeping the sport affordable and accessible.

The aim is for the plan to be approved in the Autumn. The 12 sites that would benefit from the improvements are:-

  • Arrowe Park (one court)
  • Ashton Park, West Kirby (two)
  • Birkenhead Park (six)
  • Coronation Park, Greasby (one)
  • Harrison Park, Wallasey (seven)
  • Higher Bebington Park (three)
  • Irby Park (two)
  • Marine Park, New Brighton (four)
  • Meols Parade Gardens (two)
  • New Ferry Park (four)
  • Saughall Grange (two)
  • Torr Park, Eastham (two)

Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee for Wirral Council, said: “We welcome this significant investment from the LTA. If local tennis courts are improved and of a better standard, then we hope that far more people will be able to enjoy playing tennis locally. This will be a fundamental part of Wirral’s new Sport and Physical Activity Strategy and links closely with the Wirral Plan 2026 which prioritises health equality across the borough.

“As well as increasing activity levels to improve health and wellbeing, through providing good quality facilities at a grass roots level, the committee was keen to ensure that this would be done in a sustainable and socially just way.”