KINGSLEY will have to wait yet another month before it finds out whether it will be getting a new look tennis centre.

A decision on the plans - which would see the existing dome, in Main Road, replaced with a new steel clad building encompassing four indoor courts with the two existing outdoor clay courts remaining - was due to be made on Thursday last week.

But, instead of saying ÒyesÓ or ÒnoÓ to the plans, which have been submitted by Kingsley Tennis Centre Limited, members of East Hampshire District CouncilÕs north planning committee agreed by just one vote to visit the site before making a decision.

This is the second time that the proposals have been deferred. Last month the application was withdrawn from the committeeÕs agenda by EHDCÕs head of planning control, Ian Ellis, because of concerns that a five-page report to members did not provide enough information about the proposals.

But this month district councillors were presented with a new six-page report containing additional information including the history of buildings surrounding the application site.

At last ThursdayÕs meeting, Mr Ellis told district councillors that after discussions with the applicant it had been agreed that the front of the new building would be timber boarded to reduce the appearance of an industrial building.

He also said that the tennis centre currently had a 120-year lease of which just 15 years had been used.

ÒWe have explained the history of the adjacent buildings to the site and we have also, throughout the report, added additional elements to inform members of the issues which we thought you needed more information on,Ó said Mr Ellis.

ÒWe have had further letters of support for the plans. The Lawn Tennis Association supports it, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Lawn Tennis Association supports it. We have had 10 letters of support from individual members and their parents and six further letters from members who live throughout the district.Ó

However, despite the 16 additional letters of support for the proposals, Warwick Womack proposed that members pay a visit to the site to see the Òpiecemeal developmentÓ at the site for themselves.

ÒI am deeply concerned about the piecemeal development at this site,Ó he said. ÒI recommend we have a site visit to look at it in its totality not just the site in question.Ó

Vice-chairman Anthony Williams seconded his proposal, but a number of councillors questioned the merits of a site visit.

Mr Ellis reminded members of residentsÕ concerns over the development in that area of the village.

ÒThere is a large body of concern about what has happened and what continues to happen on the western side of Kingsley,Ó he said.

ÒAlthough this is leasehold, it does belong within the same family and there is a view in the village that the whole area should be dealt with comparatively.Ó

David OÕDonnell said that the committee should be dealing with the plans before them and not the Òwider issuesÓ.

ÒI am a little confused. It is an application about a dome for tennis. Yes I understand the implications of the larger site but that is not the proposal here,Ó he said.

ÒThis is an application for a dome for playing tennis in. A site visit to look at the wider issues confuses me and I donÕt see any reason for it.Ó

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