A seasonal dome over four tennis courts at the bottom of Grands Vaux will be replaced with a permanent hall, after planning permission was granted this week.
The Caesarean Tennis Club applied to replace the temporary ‘bubble’ – which is separate from the year-round dome that covers two courts – with an enclosure of the same dimensions.
The proposed structure has a curved rather than pitched roof. Sixteen floodlights will be removed, and the glow of the current dome will disappear.
The size of the hall will be 60m by 36m, to cover the existing four courts, and 10m high.
The ‘bubble’ nature of the seasonal dome means that the proposed building is slightly taller at its ‘shoulders’.
In passing the application, the assigned planning officer concluded: “The proposal is considered acceptable in principle, as it would replace the existing inflatable dome with a permanent structure that allows year-round use of the courts and addresses ongoing maintenance issues.
“The proposal would support the continuation of an established use and provide improved community facilities, contributing positively to health and wellbeing.”
She added: “The building would occupy the same footprint as the existing dome, and the separation distance between the proposed building and its neighbours would ensure there would be no unacceptable increase in visual prominence, or loss on sunlight or daylight.
“The proposal would reduce noise and light disturbance, improve flood resilience without increasing flood risk, include a community-focused public art initiative, and satisfies all other relevant policy objectives.”
In response to the approval, Caesarean Tennis Club executive committee chair Madeleine Lee said: “This has been on the club’s wish list for years.
“Now that planning permission has been granted, subject to building control, the hard work of fundraising and building the permanent indoor courts can happen.
“Going forward, this will be a major boon for the Caesarean Tennis Club and for Jersey Sport”.
The tennis club had applied for a 50% reduction in planning fees for this major application on the basis that it is a not-for-profit organisation and the project had community and health benefits.
However, this was rejected by previous Environment Minister Steve Luce because the club is not a registered charity.
