Lowestoft Town Council
Read more on Notices of Election - Pakefield Ward and St Margaret's East Ward
Lowestoft Town Council and the LTA have today announced a partnership to invest in and refurbish public park tennis courts. Three park tennis venues will be renovated, with investment of c.£374,000 ensuring quality facilities are available free of charge for all who live in and visit Lowestoft.
The project is part of a nationwide investment by the UK Government and LTA Tennis Foundation, delivered by the LTA, to refurbish public tennis courts across Great Britain, and open up the sport to many more people. At a national level, this programme will see thousands of existing park tennis courts in poor or unplayable condition brought back to life for the benefit of communities across the country through renovation works and improved court accessibility with new gate-access technology and booking systems.
Park tennis courts are vital in providing opportunities for children and adults to get active, delivering significant physical and mental health and wellbeing benefits to participants. Accessible facilities in parks are particularly critical in opening up the sport to those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and women and girls.
In Lowestoft, a total of 16 tennis courts and 8 pickleball courts at three venues (Normanston Park, Kensington Gardens, Denes Oval) are being upgraded, including resurfacing works, new access gates, an online booking system and floodlights (at Denes Oval only). Investment of £174,000 has been secured through the LTA's Park Tennis Project with Lowestoft Town Council contributing approximately £200,000.
Alongside the investment in refurbishing the courts, Lowestoft Town Council will work with the LTA to deliver a range of activities across the venues. This will include weekly organised free park tennis sessions for all ages, to include provision of equipment and playing partners, meaning that people will not need someone to play with or their own racket to join in. Local Tennis Leagues will also be established to provide friendly, sociable, opportunities to get active through local competition.
Work on sites is anticipated to start in February 2024 and be completed in the Spring.
Mayor Sonia Barker, Chair of Lowestoft Town Council and Mayor of Lowestoft said:
“Securing this investment to refurbish our tennis courts and introduce free to all tennis participation across our park tennis venues is a real win for the Town Council and we welcome the opportunity to work with LTA in enhancing tennis provision to increase inclusion and participation. As a Town Council we are keen to ensure our substantial leisure assets are enjoyed by all and support us in achieving increased levels of physical activity in our communities, leading to improved health and wellbeing for Lowestoft residents.”
Julie Porter, Chief Operating Officer at the LTA, said:
“We are delighted to be working with Lowestoft Town Council to improve their park tennis facilities and provide more opportunities for anyone to pick up a racket and get active. This investment is part of the UK Government and LTA’s Parks Tennis Project, and will mean that courts will be available for people to use for years to come. We will also be working closely with Lowestoft Town Council to ensure that the local community have a range of accessible opportunities to get on court, and open up our sport to many more people.”
Read more on Local park tennis courts in Lowestoft set for renovation
Lowestoft Town Council is currently undertaking a significant programme of investment in its parks tennis courts and is now looking to commission an operator to maintain the courts and deliver a programme of tennis activities across the three venues (16 tennis courts and 8 pickleball courts) on a year-round basis.
The deadline for applicants is 4th March 2024.
To receive further details of this opportunity, please email admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
The timetable for the by-elections for Pakefield Ward and St Margarets East Ward has been published.
Nominations will open on Thursday 25 January 2024. All details will be available on the East Suffolk Council website.
If you are interested in standing for the position of Town Councillor, further details on what the role entails can be found on our website.
Lowestoft Town Council is seeking an external evaluation consultant to undertake the evaluation for the Lowestoft Town Hall project. This major project will restore a Grade II listed public building, and includes an extensive heritage engagement activity programme. Key outcomes for the project include the economic regeneration of the area.
An external evaluator is sought who is experienced in the fields of arts, community, and heritage and evaluating Heritage Fund projects and ideally is familiar with local government processes.
The evaluation contract will run for a period of five years, i.e. the lifetime of the delivery project plus three years' live running, and will deliver two 'mid-term' reviews to monitor the programme's progress against its intended outcomes. At the end of the project, a final evaluation report is required that examines the extent to which the vision, aims and outcomes have been achieved, and develops lessons learnt for future programmes.
To register an interest and to receive the full specification and supporting documents, please contact admin@lowestofttowncouncil.gov.uk
Deadline for applications: 9th February 2024, 12noon
Read more on Notice of Vacancy in Office of Councillor | St Margarets East)
Saturday 27th January 2024, 9:45am | Parcel Office, Lowestoft Railway Station
Holocaust Memorial Day falls on Saturday 27th January and Lowestoft Town Council will be marking the occasion with a special Service of Commemoration at The Parcel Office, Lowestoft Railway Station.
All are welcome to attend this event which starts at 9:45am and will include readings from local High Schools and Academies, reflections and the laying of wreaths.
See our event page for more details.
Lowestoft Town Council are committed to providing free tennis for all across our tennis courts. Whilst the tennis courts at Kensington Gardens and Normanston Park are currently closed as they await the start of court refurbishments in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association, the tennis courts at Denes Oval remain open seven-days a week between 9am-3pm.
Please note that there are some restrictions on court availability due to coaching sessions, particularly on a Tuesday morning, and club competitions. Lowestoft Town Tennis Club will also be hosting competition fixtures on 7th and 28th January, 4th and 18th February and 17th and 24th March with courts unavailable between 10am and 2pm on those days.
IMPORTANT
During the winter months these courts may become slippery. Please make your own judgement whether it is safe to play. Lowestoft Town Council reserve the right to close all courts at short notice.
