Tennis star Roger Federer will be visiting a South London borough this summer after a major renovation to the area’s tennis courts will force locals to pay to use courts that were previously free.

Greenwich Council documents said the retired tennis professional will be at Bostall Gardens tennis courts, in Abbey Wood which is the first of six sites to benefit from a £300,000 refurbishment from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

The new scheme will charge players £3 each to use a court per hour under a new booking system.

Five sites across the borough which are currently free to use will receive the increased fee, while courts on Chesterfield Walk will stay at their current price of £6 for adults and £4 for children.

Updates to the courts in Greenwich will include resurfacing, painting, line marking, and repairs to fences and controlled entry gates.

The courts being renovated from the investment include Altash Gardens, Kidbrooke Green Park, Maryon Park, Plumstead Common and Chesterfield Walk – with 17 tennis courts benefitting overall.

Council officers said in their report that the new fees to players had been made to cover annual maintenance costs for the digital access system, gate maintenance, replacement nets and relining courts.

Households of up to five people will also be able to pay £30 a season to play on two courts a day.

Council documents said 30 per cent of the available time to use courts will also be given to community groups free of charge.

The courts at Bostall Gardens will also see a new street art installation added around the site.

The mural comes as part of a grant from Mercedes Benz, in partnership with Roger Federer’s Neon Legacy project.

The topic was discussed at a cabinet meeting for Greenwich Council on April 26. Labour Councillor Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities, said at the meeting that the scheme was the first phase of plans to improve the borough’s 38 tennis courts.

Cllr Khaireh said: “We welcome the investment in Greenwich, and also the investment of Mercedes Benz and Roger Federer in Bostall Gardens, which is going to be a great asset to the borough.”

He added: “It’s going to be a thing that brings all of the community together, not only to tackle mental health, also physical health and to rebuild the tennis legacy that we want to have within our borough.”

At the meeting, the cabinet voted to accept the grant from the LTA to improve courts across the borough.

Council documents said a number of consultations will be held with residents who use the courts on the changes.

Work on renovating the courts is scheduled to start as early as May, and is expected to be completed by the autumn.

Across London, some residents have spoken out about charges being added to tennis courts that were previously free to use. 

Lewisham Council agreed in March to add a £5 hourly fee on courts in its borough under an agreement with LTA but locals said they fear the change will add barriers to casual players and have since started a petition, signed by 1,127 people, to keep the courts at Telegraph Hill free.

The petition said: “Currently, the courts are free to all: no membership fees, no booking system.

"Whilst we acknowledge that the courts are in need of repair, the local community have not been allowed to seek out alternative funding which would keep the courts free and open to all.”