Homes plan approved for dilapidated tennis courts

The application for new homes was approved

New homes will be built on the site of a dilapidated former tennis club after plans were approved.

Eleven two-bed and three-bed properties will go on the site where Bilston Tennis Club was until it closed in 2016.

The land, on the corner of Villiers Avenue and Harper Road near Wolverhampton, had not been used since.

After the club's lease ended, the site was empty and "fell into disrepair", City of Wolverhampton Council planning official Vijay Kaur said.

He added the planning application was previously granted but changes were needed which have now been made.

Labour councillor Alan Butt recalled fond memories of the tennis club and said he was sad to see it go.

“I don’t want to keep echoing how wonderful a tennis player I was because that’s not quite true," he joked.

"Although I was team captain of Brewood, it was for my organisational skills rather than my tennis skills.

“But we’ve been there before and it is in disrepair. So I think the decision to put these properties on the site is a good one that will improve the council’s housing stock."

The former site of the tennis club which planning officials said had fallen into disrepair after the lease ended

Bilston Tennis Club, one of the oldest clubs of its kind in the Black Country with more than 100 members at its peak, closed due to falling numbers and ended its lease on the site soon afterwards.

The new development will be a mix of detached and semi-detached houses, managed by Wolverhampton Homes.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.