Game, set, match! Grimboldby & Manby parish council take over tennis courts

After two-and-a-half years of negotiations, a village council has finally taken on two of its prized assets.
Grimoldby & Manby parish councillors from left: Nicola Turney, Antony Bunting, Terry Knowles, and Linda Knowles at the tennis courts.Grimoldby & Manby parish councillors from left: Nicola Turney, Antony Bunting, Terry Knowles, and Linda Knowles at the tennis courts.
Grimoldby & Manby parish councillors from left: Nicola Turney, Antony Bunting, Terry Knowles, and Linda Knowles at the tennis courts.

Grimoldby & Manby parish council has taken over the tennis courts and play park in Manby after chairman Terry Knowles, who is also district councillor for Grimoldby, negotiated with East Lindsey District Council.

The parish council had leased the tennis courts and play area from the district council for several years and had been responsible for the upkeep of the two assets – including spending £40,000 to refurbish the tennis courts.

And so for the past two-and-a-half years, the parish council has been appealing to ELDC to allow the parish council to sign the land to them.

Grimoldby & Manby play park.Grimoldby & Manby play park.
Grimoldby & Manby play park.

Coun Knowles said: “We’d been looking after the assets for years and we asked the district council if we could take over the freehold so we can run them for the people of Grimoldby and Manby.”

Now the assets officially belong to the parish council as part of a community asset transfer, and Coun Knowles said they have further plans for the play area:

"We want to refurbish the park and rename it Jubilee Park to commemorate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and also install a new bench for the Jubilee,” he said.

"Now that it’s ours, we can spend some money on it.”

An East Lindsey District Council spokesman said the decision to sell the 11 acres of land at Manby Park was part of the business case for the new Hub in Horncastle.