THE provision of improved netball and athletics facilities in the town was high on the agenda for members of Alton Town Council’s open spaces committee.

Deemed “a high priority” when councillors met on January 13, the future of the tennis and netball court area at Anstey Park was the subject of a public consultation in September 2013, which provided a choice of three solutions, designed to bring this once-popular sporting facility back into use.

The first was to refurbish the existing courts, the second to relocate the courts on a like-for-like basis, and the third to relocate a single dual-use court for both netball and tennis.

A report to the committee by town clerk Leah Coney pointed out that, with the completion of work to upgrade the football enclosure, attention now needed to turn to the use of the old netball and tennis courts which, due to the deterioration of the surface, state of the fencing and overall appearance, are now only used for informal sport.

Councillors heard that following the consultation, Alton Ants netball club had expressed serious concern that a new single court would not meet the club’s requirements, and the 50-strong membership would rather retain the existing location and layout, with two netball courts side by side.

An indicative cost of around £80,000 had been obtained to completely refurbish the site which, if pursued, would have to go to tender, using Hampshire County Council’s framework for supply, installation and project management.

Mrs Coney suggested the pursuit of two schemes – the first to replace the current facility like for like, and the second to fence off the far side of the facility, adjacent to the skate park, to create an extension for youngsters using skateboards and scooters, and for use as a kickabout area for all ball sports.

This, she suggested, would need to be consulted on through an on-site exhibition and consultation with the Anstey Park Users’ Group and the wider public.

In expressing concern that an £80,000 scheme might be too big an ask, councillors asked the clerk to come up with three options, covering a range of costs, but bearing in mind the needs of Alton Ants, to be brought back to the next open spaces committee meeting in March.

There was no firm decision either on a request by Alton Runners who, in order to meet growing demand, had approached the town council with a view to improving the facilities at Jubilee Fields.

Alton Runners train in and around the streets of Alton on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, meeting during the winter at Alton Sports Centre but, with an increased membership now standing at more than 100, the venue is not large enough.

Instead, the club has asked if it can use neighbouring Charles Reed pavilion as a meeting point and to warm up under cover, and for the installation of lighting that would enable them to use Jubilee Fields during the darker evenings, ideally with the provision of a wider one-kilometre running track.

A meeting with the club, with East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) and Sports Hampshire and Isle of Wight suggested that in the shorter term the installation of lighting would resolve the issue of use of the facility throughout the winter, with use of the pavilion achieved through the introduction of a licence agreement for a fee of £20 per week.

The cost of the lighting, on less than four-metre high columns, could be expected to cost less than £10,000 and could be installed during the summer, funded by developers’ contributions. This, according to the report, would benefit all users of the site and the adjacent skate park, enabling Jubilee Fields to be more extensively used by walkers and runners all year round. It would also reduce any perceived risk of anti-social behaviour through improved visibility.

According to Mrs Coney, EHDC had offered to assist in the planning process. In the longer term (five to seven years) once the new sports centre works have been completed, a feasibility study could be undertaken to determine whether to improve the running facilities at Jubilee Fields or whether to consider the provision of a multi-purpose athletics ‘hub’ elsewhere, possibly at the Digger’s part of Anstey Park.

As part of these proposals, Mrs Coney reported that Alton Runners had agreed to work with Sport Hampshire and Isle of Wight to create a juniors section, which will be started during 2016 – an exercise that can be expected to facilitate the securing of funds and open up opportunities for runners of all ages across Alton.

While councillors welcomed the proposals which, some felt would provide a safer environment for runners than the roads, they agreed to permit the use of the Charles Reed pavilion by Alton Runners at specified times and subject to a licence agreement, but wanted to look more closely at the installation of lighting to illuminate the track at Jubilee Fields, with some concerns expressed over light spillage and the impact on neighbouring residents.

A more detailed proposal is to be submitted to the March meeting with confirmation that any such scheme could be funded via Section 106 developers’ contributions.