AN ACE new facility could be open at Musselburgh Tennis Club in time for Wimbledon.
A new pavilion, complete with changing facilities and accessible toilet, has been given the go-ahead, with funding also in place.
The tennis club is waiting on a building warrant being signed off by East Lothian Council, with hopes the new building will open by the summer.
Sean Elliot, chairman of the tennis club in Lewisvale Park, told the Courier: “We are delighted, obviously.
“This is the third set of planning permission we have had for the project over the years. It has been in conception since probably 2013 and the whole project for the facility at Lewisvale Park was multi-phased. The first phase was getting the courts resurfaced and an additional court in 2015.”
Drawings included with the application, which was approved by the council’s planning department last month, show the layout of the facility.
As well as male and female changing rooms, there is storage and a kitchen and social space where people can watch ongoing games. A toilet can also be accessed without entering the main area of the building.
Mr Elliot said the time had come to replace the existing pavilion.
He said: “It is pretty dilapidated and not suitable for things like wheelchair access. It is not fit for purpose and it does not lend itself to modification.
“It is a complete flatten and rebuild with a modern facility, which is fit for purpose, not just for the tennis club but it could be used as a community facility as well.”
Previous planning permission for a new pavilion expired, while a second set of plans were shelved in the face of rising costs.
Now, it is hoped the new building, which is estimated to cost between £125,000 and £150,000, can progress.
Funding has been secured from a variety of sources, including sportscotland, East Lothian Council’s capital intervention fund and the Scottish Landfill Communities Fund, as well money being raised by the club.