AN ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE tennis club has closed and could disappear completely after plans were lodged to replace it with four houses.
Rosehill, on Gorsey Lane, has stood unused since early 2024 after a large leak damaged both its clubhouse and courts.
Now Judith Brazier, of the 102-year-old club, has registered an outline application to develop the site after the call was made to shut it permanently.
If it gets full approval, the clubhouse and courts will be demolished and ripped up – but documents supporting the application state why they believe it has to happen.
They say: “Unfortunately, in 2023 the clubhouse suffered significant damage, due to a pipe leak, and was closed to the members and public, on health and safety grounds.
“This, together with a hole in the back wall and rotted window frames, put the clubhouse out of use on health and safety grounds.
“Ivy has crept through various gaps and crevices, into the ladies’ toilets and changing rooms.
“In December 2024, all the windows were smashed by vandals and the decision was taken to board them up.
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“The cost of a new clubhouse would be at least £30,000 and even going for a much smaller structure to provide basic facilities of toilets and storage we estimate the cost to be £20,000.
“At the start of 2024, an inspection of the tennis courts revealed a lot of work was needed to get them playable – moss killer, weeding, repairs to netting and a dip in the far court which needed specialist treatment and probably the relaying of that court.
“We estimated the cost to bring the courts up to a safe and playable standard would be approximately £24,000. Even doing the absolute minimum to get the club up and running would require an investment of at least £44,000.
“The burden of the club’s upkeep, over the last few years, has fallen on the shoulders of a small number of its members, who form the club’s committee.
“This burden has steadily increased, over the last couple of years due to the dwindling membership numbers and lack of volunteers to assist with the numerous tasks of keeping the club open.
“As a result, the club has been closed since early 2024. The current members have taken the very difficult decision to permanently close the club, for financial and sustainability reasons.”
Rosehill insists it has made attempts to keep going but as it has not had enough members to field teams in the Oldham League for the last three seasons, potential new ones have gone to other clubs.
And it added: “Even if the funding to replace the clubhouse and repair the courts could be found, there are simply not enough members to allow the club to cover its annual costs, let alone provide the manpower to take on the job of running the club.
“The financial situation of the club was presented to members at an AGM in January 2025. The trustees and committee, with heavy heart, proposed that Rosehill Tennis Club be dissolved.
“After discussion it was noted that the committee had done all they could to keep the club going, a vote was taken and it was unanimously agreed that the club should close.”
The homes being proposed will consist of two blocks of three-bedroomed, semi-detached properties.
Each would have two off-street car parking spaces and gardens to the rear.
If eventually given full approval, they would have no habitable room windows in the gables and could have hipped rooves to reduce the impact on the adjacent houses.
Tameside Council’s Speaker’s Panel (Planning) committee will decide whether to grant or refuse outline planning permission.