AN ORPINGTON school could be in line for a £575,000 grant to help pay for 10 tennis courts costing £1.5m, despite controversy surrounding the application.

The cash for Newstead Wood School for Girls is part of £1.9m coming to the borough from the Government's New Opportunities Fund.

Almost £1m has been pledged by the Lawn Tennis Association and Kent County Lawn Tennis Association in additional funding for the scheme, so the council will pay nothing.

The borough is allowed to bid for some of the New Opportunities Fund's money in advance and has chosen the school's tennis court scheme over a pool at Charles Darwin Leisure Centre.

A row broke out at a meeting of the council's leisure and community services committee as some councillors felt the application should be for £1.2m to build the swimming pool in Biggin Hill.

But the council decided to press ahead with the tennis courts at the Avebury Road school, which already has outline planning permission, even though some local residents have objected. Committee chairman Councillor Joan Wykes OBE said: "The tennis courts project is ready to go ahead, and we have also got funding from Sport England and the Lawn Tennis Association, which could be lost if we don't go for this now."

"I want to see the pool go ahead as much as anyone, but we need to get more funding."

The decision to press ahead with the tennis courts for the fast-track funding was criticised by Biggin Hill ward councillor Geoff Gostt and Rob Higgins, headteacher at Charles Darwin Secondary School, where the pool was to be built.

Councillor Gostt said: "The council said the pool would go ahead when funding was available, and I think the pool should have been the fast track.

"The community of Biggin Hill has raised £25,000 to prove they are behind the scheme, whereas some residents aren't in favour of the tennis courts." Mr Higgins added the decision was "a blow".

Newstead Wood headteacher Elizabeth Allen said the school was delighted to have been chosen for the cash handout.

December 12, 2001 11:08