Westbury mayor Jane Russ has called for urgent investment in the town’s sports facilities with a renovation of the tennis and netball courts at Leighton Recreation Centre top of the list.
Her call comes as work is due to start next month on Wiltshire Council’s new £25million leisure centre in Trowbridge which has only reinforced concerns that Westbury is being left behind when it comes to sports facilities.
Cllr Russ believes the town is long overdue some much-needed attention and thinks a renovation of Westbury’s tennis and netball courts would be an ideal place to start.
“It feels like Westbury is always at the back of the queue when it comes to investment in sports facilities,” said Cllr Russ. “While Trowbridge is getting a brand-new leisure centre, we’re struggling to get basic maintenance done on existing courts that could be a fantastic asset for the community.
“The three outdoor floodlit tennis courts and the netball court, located in a tucked-away corner of the Leighton Recreation Centre field, have long been in a state of neglect and could easily be brought back into use.”
Cllr Russ, who plays with the Westbury Wanderers Walking Netball team, first discovered the courts when looking into what remained of an old netball facility. The courts, originally built with Lottery funding, are still structurally sound but require new netting, pressure washing, and fresh line markings to be usable.
She believes restoring the courts would provide a vital sporting boost for the town, and would be particularly welcomed by the town’s older residents looking to stay active.
“I want to see Westbury become a hub for local sports, and having proper tennis and netball courts is a vital step in that direction,” she said. “Our netball players deserve better facilities and it’s unacceptable that there are no tennis courts in a town the size of Westbury. Leighton Recreation Centre is the perfect site for these courts, and I’m determined to make this happen.”
With existing floodlights, flat surfaces, and space for a designated footpath from the car park, Cllr Russ believes that relatively modest investment could bring the courts back into full use.
The mayor is now calling on Wiltshire Council and local residents to back the push for better sports facilities in Westbury. “This town deserves more than being an afterthought,” she said. “If we want to encourage active, healthy lifestyles, we need to invest in the spaces that allow people to play, train, and compete right here in Westbury.”
One potential avenue for funding is the Lawn Tennis Association’s (LTA) Park Tennis Project, which aims to rejuvenate neglected public tennis courts across the country and Cllr Russ is keen for Westbury to explore such opportunities.
Wiltshire Council said there had been little demand to reinstate the tennis and netball courts. Parvis Khansari, corporate director place, said, “The tennis and netball courts at Leighton Sports Centre have not been used for formal, chargeable activity for many years and there has been little demand to reinstate this. However, this area can still be used for informal activity free of charge.
“The recent work to remove the fencing was to improve the safety of the area as some people had chosen to climb the fence and potentially put themselves at risk. The fencing was removed to eliminate this risk.
“To recover the surface of the courts and bring them back into use as a chargeable facility would require significant investment and as there has been little demand for this, there are no immediate plans to do this.”
Pictured: Mayor Jane Russ at the Leighton Recreation Centre tennis and netball courts which have fallen into disrepair
