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Time up for old Forfar tennis courts?

The all-weather courts sat beside Lochside leisure centre, which was cleared in 2022, and have not been used for years.

Lochside tennis courts are beside the Forfar skatepark. Image: Graham Brown/DC Thomson
Lochside tennis courts are beside the Forfar skatepark. Image: Graham Brown/DC Thomson

Angus Council is ready to call time on former Forfar tennis courts which have sat empty for years.

The all-weather courts were a popular facility beside the former Lochside leisure centre.

But the council closed them when Lochside shut in 2017. It was replaced by new facilities at Forfar community campus.

The 47-year-old leisure centre was eventually demolished at a cost of £650,000 in 2022.

And now the courts could also be cleared.

It comes a year after plans to create a state-of-the-art gymnastics centre on the site were dropped.

Common good asset

The future of the tennis courts has come into the spotlight through an audit of Forfar’s common good.

Angus Council is building an up-to-date picture of the land and property held by each burgh with a common good fund.

The list includes Forfar Loch Country Park which the all-weather courts sit in.

Former site of Lochside leisure centre in Forfar.
The former Lochside leisure centre was knocked down in 2022 and returned to parkland. Image: Graham Brown/DC Thomson

The common good report says: “The council had been progressing a proposal for the construction of a gymnastics centre from a local gymnastics club by way of a community asset transfer (CAT) but the club subsequently decided not to proceed with their proposal.

“Currently there are no other proposals for the redevelopment of the tennis court area.

“It is currently under consideration that the tennis courts be removed and the land reinstated to parkland in due course.”

Gymnastics club bid

Phoenix Gymnastics Club struck the CAT deal with the council in 2019 for a 99-year lease of the site.

Their dream was to build a new training centre for the successful group.

But the club told the council in February 2023 the plan would not be going ahead.

Club officials blamed spiralling costs and the terms of the lease deal for the decision to drop the proposal.

The council is yet to bring forward a firm plan to get rid of the old courts.

 

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