Tennis in Barnet consultation

We asked

We asked for your views on a set of proposals on the way tennis is accessed across the borough and how they can be run in the future.

You said

We received 486 responses to the online questionnaire, and we received three direct emails.

The summary of the responses is:

the majority of users played tennis once a week in parks
suitable playable surface, court availability and advance bookings were the most popular answers given to what would make users play more tennis in parks
the majority of respondents were happy with the online bookings platform
most of the respondents were in favour of some form of charging structure, though a large number of respondents were against any charging structure at all.

We did

The results of the consultation were used to form a report that was presented to and approved at the Environment and Climate Change Committee in November 2022 (Agenda Item 10). The committee approved to introduce a sustainable operating model which also seeks to grow tennis participation in Barnet by:

introducing an annual season ticket membership which allows the holder to book two 1-hour bookings per week
providing three hours free to play on weekdays for all courts (10:00-11:00 and 16:00-18:00)
bringing all bookings made by non-season ticket holders and outside of the free to play sessions in line with the existing pay and play model currently in place in Victoria Park and Hendon Park
the installation of gated technology to protect and courts from misuse and damage
provide for continued usage of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) online booking system across all sites
delivering a borough wide investment programme to bring courts up to a good standard for safe and enjoyable play for all
creating a sinking fund to safeguard the future quality and condition of the borough’s tennis courts.