Lease and manage public tennis courts in Thanet

Opportunity to lease and manage public tennis courts in Thanet

We are inviting expressions of interest from sports and leisure operators to lease and manage refurbished public tennis courts across Thanet. Operators can apply to manage some or all of the available sites.

In 2024, we refurbished public tennis courts across the district in partnership with the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), funded by a £285,000 LTA grant and approximately £28,000 in council match funding.

Court locations

The courts are available in three packages:

Zone A

• Westbrook Games Centre, Margate: Two courts
• St Mildred’s Games Centre, Westgate-On-Sea: Four courts
• Optional base: The Blue Hut at St Mildred’s Games Centre (available for an additional £5,000 a year)

Optional facility: The Blue Hut (St Mildred’s)

Operators applying for Group A can also choose to lease the Blue Hut at St Mildred’s Games Centre for an additional £5,000 a year.

Subject to planning permission, this building can be used as an operational base, equipment hire kiosk, or café serving light refreshments.

Leasing the Blue Hut is optional. You can apply to manage the tennis courts without taking on this building.

Zone B

• Hartsdown Park, Margate: Two courts

Zone C

• Memorial Recreation Ground, Broadstairs: Two courts
• Montefiore Games Centre, Ramsgate: Four courts

What the operator will do

Successful operators will lease the sites, manage day-to-day court operations, and work to increase local participation in tennis.

Key responsibilities include:

• Day-to-day management: maintaining the courts and ensuring sites are clean, safe, and accessible.
• Coaching sessions: running weekly bookable coaching sessions to develop local players.
• Court bookings: using the national ‘ClubSpark’ online booking platform to manage bookings and reporting usage data to the LTA.
• Access gates: operating the secure gate access system at all sites (operators must pay £500 a year towards gate maintenance).
• Free community access: offering at least one hour of free court access each week for the local community.
• Future court maintenance: managing a long-term sinking fund to cover future repainting (scheduled between 2030 and 2031) and full resurfacing (scheduled between 2036 and 2039).

Financial contributions to the sinking fund

Operators must contribute:

• A one-off payment of £550 per court at the start of the lease
• £1,200 per court, per year for ongoing resurfacing and repainting

Support from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA)

The LTA will support operators with:

• A business case template
• A specification template
• Maintenance specifications for the sinking fund
• Approved wording for the free park tennis sessions
• Free ‘activator training’ for staff
• One free tennis equipment bag per site

How to apply

To request more details or register your interest, email our Property and Asset Management team at propertyandassetmanagement@thanet.gov.uk

Deadline for expressions of interest: 5pm on Tuesday 1 December 2026.