Regeneration of the Clubhouse

Update October 2026

What: a regeneration of the whole clubhouse area, making the clubhouse around 70% larger.
Cost: £1.2 million.
Funding: Club reserves; loans from Charity Bank, and potentiall Surrey Tennis; member fundraising, donations and loans; a proposed one-time member contribution.
What it means for you: A single payment of £200 for Peak members, paid with subscriptions in March 2027. Other memberships pay proportionately less. Accommodations for financial hardship.
The decision: members vote For or Against at the EGM on 17th November.

The next chapter of Old College

In recent years, Old College has evolved enormously. The club has invested steadily in its courts, lighting and tennis infrastructure. Membership has grown, the junior programme has flourished and our teams continue to thrive. More people are playing, competing and spending time at the club than ever before.

We are now focused on transforming the final part of the club that has not kept pace with that evolution: the clubhouse itself. Member feedback has consistently pointed to the clubhouse as the club’s next major priority.

In response, we have launched a Clubhouse Regeneration programme that is about more than upgrading a building. We want to create a space that reflects the energy, ambition and community the club has become — a welcoming, inclusive and flexible environment designed to support our members, coaches and visitors for decades to come.

The regeneration will deliver:

A new changing block including accessible washrooms, and improved facilities for coaches and equipment replacing the existing garage structure.
Refurbishment of the existing clubhouse to create a larger and more welcoming social space within the current building footprint, and improved kitchen and bar facilities.
Improvements to the surrounding landscaping and access routes, including improved accessibility for wheelchair users and visitors

The aim of the regeneration is clear: to amplify and support what members already love about the club while ensuring the club can continue to grow and evolve for decades to come.

History

The current clubhouse was built in the mid-1980s for a much smaller club with fewer teams, fewer courts and a less active junior and adult tennis programme.

Over time, it has become clear that the clubhouse no longer fully supports the needs of the modern club around it. We started considering the regeneration in 2024 and explored a number of options, including:

A completely new clubhouse
Phased extension and regeneration
Refurbishment only
Limited cosmetic improvements

Following consultation, technical assessment and pre-planning review with Southwark Council, the preferred route became a regeneration and extension approach. This option provides the strongest long-term balance between:

Functionality
Cost efficiency
Long-term sustainability
Accessibility
The future needs of the club

Governance & Oversight

To provide independent oversight and specialist input throughout the project, we established a Project Steering Group (PSG), all of whom are members of the club.

The PSG works alongside and advises the Club Committee to review plans, challenge assumptions, and oversee costs as the project develops.

The PSG is chaired by Charlotte Ireson who is a professional architect. Other members are:

Hande Reardon (interior designer)
Jamie Acheson (Chartered Surveyor, and Managing Director of property development company)
Andrew Speller (Finance and Operations Director of property development company)
Caroline Beck (Club Chair and Treasurer)
Bob Henderson (Club Vice Chair)

Following a competitive tender process, BSA Architects were appointed based on their experience, competitive pricing, previous work with both the club and similar projects, and their ability to support the regeneration through design, tender and delivery phases.

We have also appointed independent quantity surveyors to scrutinise the plans, challenge costs and advise the PSG.

Planning permission for the final design was granted in December 2025.

How much will it cost?

The estimated cost for the Clubhouse Regeneration is £1.2 million. This has been examined and challenged in detail by our independent quantity surveyors and the PSG.

Around £800,000 of the cost is for the construction itself; the rest is for VAT, professional fees, project management, and contingency.

Following a competitive tender process over the summer we have identified a preferred contractor. The PSG is now in a process of negotiating with the contractor and quantity surveyor to reduce costs.

How will we pay?

The bulk of the funding will come from club reserves and external loans. Our OC ’26 campaign raised £138,000 from fundraising and member loans. This leaves a funding gap of £60,000.

The Committee proposes to close the funding gap through a one-time member contribution (or ‘levy’) to be paid with the annual subscriptions in March 2027.

The one-time contribution – for 2027 only – will apply to all member categories except for Minis, Social and Life members, proportionate to the respective annual subscriptions. Members in financial hardship will be able to request to pay in instalments.

Membership type and one-time contribution for each

Adult Peak – £200
Adult-Off-peak – £141
Young Adult/Student – £64
Off-Peak Young Adult – £46
M25 (existing) – £72
Coach – £76
Junior – £25

Can the club afford the project?

Yes. The Committee has carefully modelled the club’s 10-year cashflow. Its starting point is the projected regular income and expenditure, and including court maintenance and capital expenditure programme. The project costs and funds are then added on to this to confirm that the club can pay all its bills as they fall due and for the project.

The project budget includes contingency, and the one-time member contribution will allow additional funds for unforeseen issues. The cash-flows will be scrutinised by the Finance Committee before the EGM.

Funds for court maintenance and resurfacing are included in the cash-flow and will not be affected by the Clubhouse Regeneration.

What happens next?

The Club Committee has developed this plan for the Clubhouse Regeneration in response to members’ feedback. 93% of funds have been raised. The Committee’s recommendation is to go ahead with the project, but the decision rests with members.

At the EGM on November 17^th members will vote on 3 resolutions proposed by the Committee:

To spend up to £656,000 of club funds
To borrow sums of money specified in the resolutions from Charity Bank, Surrey Tennis and individual members under the member loan programme
To increase membership subscriptions for 2027 by 5% plus a one-time member contribution.

Members unable to attend will be able to appoint a Proxy to vote on their behalf. Instructions are in the EGM notification.

If the resolutions are approved by a majority of members at the EGM the Club can go ahead – the contract will be signed with the chosen construction company and work will begin in January 2027. We aim to have the new clubhouse ready for the Club Tournament.

If the majority of members vote against the resolutions, the Club will have to start a new process to design, tender, fund and manage an alternative clubhouse project.