A multi-sport hub at Jackey Bakers Rec in Ramsgate is likely to be located at the south side of the site as part of a £10m development baked with 60% investment from the Football Foundation’s Hubs Programme.
The scheme, which has already been earmarked to include a new car park, could also provide covered tennis courts and padel courts is funding is gained from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and a pump track and walking/cycling route with potential British Cycling funding.
A report to Thanet council Cabinet members says options for the hub to be either on the south or north side were explored.
The north option would mean no land agreements would be needed but would result in less full-size grass pitches, wouldn’t include the athletics track at Royal Harbour Academy and is close to housing.
The south option does mean the council will have to enter into land agreements but will result in a greater number of grass pitches, will secure the RHA athletics track for community use, has a wider gap from housing and means more of the Rec land can be retained.
Athletics track
The report says: “Extensive community engagement demonstrates strong support for the South Option, particularly due to the opportunity to bring the athletics track back into use as a community asset.
“The Royal Harbour Academy (RHA) hardly uses the track, and it is only mainly used by Thanet Athletics Club currently. The concern for RHA is that they will have no choice but to close the track if they cannot afford to cover the cost of major repairs to it, as they cannot use educational funds for this sports provision.
“There was also strong support for ensuring Jackey Bakers Recreation Ground remains an asset for the local community to use and not be taken over by sport. Any investment should improve the amenities by making the recreation ground a welcoming, and safe place to go, especially for young people and women and girls.”
Further investment
Council officers also say there is an LTA bid for potential investment of £1.7m from government funding for three covered tennis courts and three covered padel courts to be installed at the rec.
British Cycling also wants to develop an ‘active track’ round the outside of Jackey Bakers to encourage cycling, running, walking, as well as a BMX ‘pump track’, but have no capital funding to provide for this yet. This addition would be a possible ‘phase 2’ to the hubs programme.
The report adds that a new fully inclusive play area could be built closer to the multi-sports hub café following a £270,000 award for Thanet for three new playgrounds in the district. The money comes from an extension of the government’s Pride in Place funding.
Future facilities could also include new floodlit 3G pitches and a new community pavilion with changing rooms.
A temporary pavilion was officially opened at the site last November.
Football Foundation
The development is planned as part of the Football Foundation Hubs Programme and, if it moves forward to the final phase, could require investment of £10m – the Football Foundation would pay £6m and Thanet council £4m.
In December the council agreed to move to phase 3 of the Football Foundation Hubs Programme to produce an outline design for the site, at a cost of up to £333,000, including a grant of up to £200,000 from the Football Foundation.
A Sports Facilities Project Manager has been appointed to oversee the scheme.
Cabinet members will discuss the project update on Thursday (April 30).
it wont be long before they sneak some houses into the development
I’m sure the owners of the new Padel court being built will not be too pleased to know another Padel Court is going to be built less than half a mile away at Jacky Bakers.
Great news ; but the normal amount of courts for matches ; coaching ; team play etc would be typically 4 courts . This would not cost much more and as Thanet has 120,000 people ( rising dramatically due to the house building programme ) it would make more sense .
Given TDC’s financial reserves have been decimated by the Labour Administration, I will wait to see where they are intending to find where their £4m contribution is going to come from before getting too excited.
Hubs all round!