Cwmbran to be Torfaen's first pay per play tennis courts

The price trial will also be used to draw up a charging policy for courts across Torfaen in the future. 

Tennis courts at Cwmbran Park, in Old Cwmbran, have benefitted from a £220,000 refurbishment funded by the Lawn Tennis Association, Sport Wales and money paid by housing developers for community improvements. 

A condition of the Lawn Tennis Association funding is councils have a maintenance fund for the upkeep of the courts, with many introducing charging as a result though it is also a condition of the grant any charges are “open and affordable to all users”. 

Its Club Spark system allows courts to be booked online with an automated gate system to control entry to courts. 

Torfaen Borough Council, which owns the Cwmbran courts, intends to introduce a £39 annual charge for clubs and schools which would give them hourly block bookings in advance, subject to a set limit. 

Free access would be maintained for casual users but they will have to make hourly bookings that would be made available no more than 24 hours in advance. 

A decision, due to be confirmed by the council’s cabinet member for environment Councillor Mandy Owen on Friday, August 23, said it is intended to assess the costs required for the upkeep of the courts, and booking system. 

The council has said charging for use would be in line with other sports facilities in Torfaen and its report said: “It is necessary to gather evidence of actual costs over time to ensure a fair pricing policy is introduced.  

“An assessment of costs will be undertaken during the current financial year, with a view to introducing a comprehensive charging policy for all tennis courts in Torfaen, as part of the council’s wider fees and charges review.” 

The LTA has recommended for non-floodlit courts, such as those in Cwmbran, an annual fund of £1,200 is maintained while floodlit courts such as those in Pontypool Park – where it isn’t intended to introduce charges ahead of the review – require £1,800 a year. 

In addition the Club Spark automated gate system and website requires £380 a year maintenance, after four years, for a battery gate at Cwmbran and £320, after four years, for an electric gate at Pontypool. 

The fee for the website booking system is covered for the first 15 years but will cost £60 per court each year after that plus a further £580 for gated technology after the initial first four years. 

Though the council will require £1,200 for the upkeep of the Cwmbran courts in its its first year its plan to only charge clubs and schools would likely only cover that cost if all the council’s 33 schools purchased a pass, which would raise £1,287. However the council has said it doesn’t expect this cost to be covered from the “nominal income” it could generate this year.

There is no publicly available information on the number of tennis clubs in Torfaen but according to Tennis Wales there are 86 registered clubs across the whole of the country. 

The council has £13,000 available from section 106 funding, paid by developers, to contribute to the upkeep of the Cwmbran courts while a review of maintenance costs and a future charging policy is undertaken. 

The report states St Dials ward councillor Elizabeth Haynes, who’d previously asked if the council would rule out charges, stated she is “strongly opposed” to charging but Cllr Catherine Bonera supports charging clubs and schools but not individuals. 

Charges were previously dropped due to staff reductions which meant the council no longer had enough park wardens to collect fees and manage bookings. 

This is how the courts at Tredegar Park in Newport looking after being refurbished under the LTA scheme. (Image: Newport City Council.)

What does it cost to play tennis in Gwent? 

Torfaen council has also set out the charges issued by other Gwent councils, and Cardiff council, some of which have benefited from the LTA funding. 

• Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council £4.50/hr  
• Caerphilly County Borough Council £2.30/30 mins  
• Monmouthshire County Council £5.00/hr  
• Newport City Council £8.50/hr 

In Cardiff the council charges £2.25/30mins and also offers a £39 annual pass 

Tredegar Park in Newport has six floodlit courts which have also been refurbished under the LTA grant. 

Figures represent booking numbers which are not necessarily reflective of the exact usage as one booking may be for two courts or for two one-hour sessions on the same court etc. 

• June – 13  
• July – 162  
• August – 162  
• Sept – 154  
• October – 78 
• November – 74  
• December – 32  
• January – 43  

Total 1,316 hours  

Gross income £3,541.50