East Bergholt Parish Council, Playing fields Committee.

Re: Tennis court facilities and utilities project

Background
The Parish Council has commissioned a project to install water, sewage and electricity
to the tennis courts environment and to install 2 converted containers for a club house
and for toilet facilities. The expected price of the installation was £120K and the Parish
Council agreed a contribution of £25k, a request was made for Babergh’s CIL funding of
£75k and the remaining contribution to be made from fund raising by the tennis club.

In June 2024 I agreed to take over the PC leadership of this project from Graeme who
had a number of other playing field projects to manage. I asked Brian Wilshire to help
progress the project by undertaking project management on a voluntary basis.

Progress made
Since the summer we have:
• Received pre-application advice in July
• Applied for a grant from Babergh CIL funds in Sept
• Finalised designs in accordance with pre-application advice in Nov
• Applied for planning permission to install the 2 units and utilities in Nov
• Once we had completed the pre-application advice, application for planning
permission, and finalised detailed designs, we sought quotes for the works in
November 2024.
• We received quotes from 3 builders by 12 Dec

On receipt of the final quote Brian analysed the quotes to equalize their content and
then he and I met on Sat 21 Dec to scrutinise the findings. The first from D Stock for
over £200k was eliminated on grounds of cost.

The other two quotes from 800 Group for £150k and from St Pierre Services Ltd for £ 95k
were examined in detail. St Pierre Services Ltd had omitted details on several line items
and once these costs were identified and added to the basic quote the cost total was
just less than the 800 Group quote. The remaining costs of the project relate to fees and
professional costs. NB: VAT has been excluded from the calculations.

Once the analysis of bids was finalised and references taken into account, the 800
Group was identified as the best Value for Money quote.

The total of all works are a total of £191k for the completion of building the project, an
excess of £71k larger than the original estimates. With the addition of fees not
accounted for in the original estimates the total comes to a final total of £209,000

Brian consulted with Babergh CIL team who, after calculation of the allowed and
disallowed items to conform with Babergh CIL policies, agreed to recommend approval
of £100k, the maximum that Babergh CIL grants allocate.

Brian and Joan identified works that might be done by tennis club volunteer effort to
reduce the costs.

Brian and Joan met with the Tennis Club Committee on Mon 30 Dec to see what further
contribution the tennis club might be able to make to the funding of the PC’s project:
• The tennis club had already committed to contribute £25k towards the project.
• The tennis club committee agreed to undertake voluntary works (demolition of
current shed, soft landscaping, installation of living roof, paving slabs) reducing
the total required in cash by £7000.
• In addition the tennis club committee agreed that they could contribute a further
sum of £35k from their funds. The tennis club are investigating a £15k interest
free loan repayable over 10 years from the Suffolk tennis association.
The tennis club committee therefore agreed to a contribution of a total of £67k towards
completing the project in cash and kind. See treasurer’s letter in Appendix.

Planning Permission
Planning consent notification was received on 8.1.25

Summary of costs
Costs Income
Cost build 191,000
Cost of professional fees 13,000
Building Regulation fees, estimated 5,000

PC CIL grant approved 25,000
PC contribution to ecology survey 5,000
Babergh CIL bid recommendation 100,000
Tennis Club cash contribution 60,000
Tennis Club volunteer contribution 7,000

TOTAL 209,000 197,000

Required additional income 12,000

For the project to proceed an additional £12,000 is required.
It should be noted that if Babergh Cabinet fail to agree their recommended CIL grant
then this project is unlikely to proceed.

Recommendation:
My recommendation for a proposal to the Parish Council meeting on 9.1.25 is:
“Recommend that a further CIL grant of £12,000 is provided to the tennis court
facilities project.”

Joan Miller, 8.12.25

Appendix : Letter from Tennis Club Treasurer

Joan Miller
Chair
East Bergholt Parish Council

8
th
January 2025

Dear Joan

Confirmation of East Bergholt Tennis Club commitment to Clubhouse Project

I am writing to you to provide formal confirmation of East Bergholt Tennis Club’s financial
commitment to the Parish Council Project to provide a clubhouse and associated utilities
infrastructure next to the existing tennis courts on Gandish Road Playing Fields.

As agreed at our committee meeting last week, East Bergholt Tennis Club is prepared to
commit £60,000 to the project. In addition, we give a commitment to undertake voluntary
works with an equivalent value of £7,000 associated with the project.

Yours sincerely

Paul Lake
Treasurer
East Bergholt Tennis Club