Regeneration of the Clubhouse
The only Old College asset which cries out for change is the Clubhouse. Let’s do it! Here’s how.
Latest Updates
Since our previous update on this subject, we are very pleased to advise you that the planning application has now been lodged with Southwark Council. Neighbour consultee letters have been sent and Southwark has opened our application for public comment. That includes you!
You can review the application at
https://planning.southwark.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=T3HTMNKBH2N00&activeTab=summary
It is really important for members to contribute to this consultation invitation. Anyone wanting to comment can do this under the ‘comment’ tab. The public comment stage closes on 6th November so please do this now!
As a recap the principal aim is to provide a regenerated modern Clubhouse that meet the functional needs of members and coaches but is, above all, a welcoming, inclusive and comfortable space that members will enjoy for many years to come. Some of the planned upgrades will include:
- Building a changing block that will replace an old and dilapidated garage to provide new, accessible washrooms and accommodation for coaches and tennis equipment,
- Refurbishing the existing 1986 Clubhouse to provide an enlarged and improved clubroom inside the unchanged volume of the existing building,
- Relandscaping the front of the clubhouse to improve access for all visitors and members including wheelchair users.
The external works are designed to be discrete and to bring our electrics and plumbing up to date. The project will ensure level access to all existing and new spaces, enhance biodiversity, improve off-court and spectator areas and rationalise and secure open air storage. The intention is to give both members and the Dulwich community a modern space that is energy efficient, attractive to members and will not alter the character of the Club’s location.
Lease Extension
In response to members’ feedback the Committee has been in discussion with our landlord, Dulwich Picture Gallery, about extending our lease for a minimum of ten years. We hope to hear back shortly from the Gallery.
Funding the Project
In parallel with the planning our architects, BSA are progressing with the technical design with a view to sending out invitations to tender as soon as we have sufficient certainty from the planning application process. It is only when this process is complete that we will have more clarity on what the costs will be. It is estimated that normal Club activities will generate circa 60% of the cash required by April 2026. This leaves us with a potential funding gap of circa 40%.
As mentioned in my July newsletter, our intention is to raise the balance primarily through donations and a potential levy that will be applied in addition to the annual subscription fee. We will be engaging further with members once the costs are better known and, of course, it will be submitted for approval at a Club extraordinary general meeting.
If you want to tender for project work
If you (or your company) would like to be considered for this work then please forward your contact details to Caroline Beck (carolinebeck@btinternet.com) or Bob Henderson (rjhend3003@gmail.com) by 15th November. Please note that any quote provided by a member or their company will be considered by the Project Steering Group on an arm’s length basis.
If you have any comments then please don’t hesitate to discuss them with a member of our Project Steering Group (Charlotte Ireson, Hande Reardon, Bob Henderson and Caroline Beck).
Best regards, Caroline
Design
The latest floor layout is below. Although the volume of the new annex and external appearance remain much as it was when it was presented in February, the main changes to the internal layouts are that:
- The Clubhouse social area will be one open space and there will be no electrical cupboard, which will now be incorporated in a dedicated plantroom. To minimise disruption to the members’ communal area, we will be able to arrange the space so that there can be a junior area with table tennis and soft seating and a remote working area;
- The changing areas have been tweaked to improve efficiency and flexibility;
- A plantroom to house the engineering equipment and services has been added. We are in discussions with utilities with a view to replacing the current three mains supplies to the site, with one three phase supply. This should allow a more efficient and versatile source of power for all our electrical equipment, from lighting (including court floodlighting), to ventilation, to heating (and cooling) of spaces and hot water for showers, handwashing and kitchen. This will also give us a little more space in the clubroom.
For the planning permission we have covered as much as we need to. At this stage we don’t need to finalise how we will shade the patio or exactly what will be in the new kitchen/bar. However, there has been considerable discussion on those aspects so we know that the new infrastructure will support shading, appliances etc. and we can make informed decisions when the time is right (and we know what we can spend).
Funding
The Club is starting from a strong financial position with circa £350,000 is in the bank available for this project. However, there will still be a funding gap. At this stage we don’t know how much that will be and when the construction costs will need to be paid.
To make up the difference we will welcome donations that will be appropriately recognized – more to come on this. To give your donations greater “bang for the buck” we can give the benefit of gift aid*. We will also be applying for available grants from organisations like Sports England but expect any funds received to be modest.
For the balance, we had initially requested prepayment of annual subscriptions for 2026 & 2027. However, this made assumptions about costs and timing that could turn out to be significantly different in practice. It was felt that the Club could not take that financial risk. Accordingly, we are moving towards asking all members to pay an additional levy or subscription. We also hope to spread this ‘Regeneration Levy’ over two or more tranches that coincide with major payments. The benefit of this approach is that the amounts requested will be directly linked to the latest and best estimate of the project’s costs. Further, as the Clubhouse Regeneration will benefit all members, we are proposing that it applies to all members in a similar way as the annual subscription and therefore this Regeneration Levy seems a fair and reasonable way to proceed. It is intended that this funding approach will be put forward for member approval along with the construction costs.
The proposed levies will be based on your category of membership similar to the Annual Subscription Payment and will have appropriate financial hardship exceptions. We will not levy junior members. Following completion of the Clubhouse Regeneration, we would hope the Club can give members reduced subscriptions in the future. However, that will depend on the Club’s financial position after the project is complete and therefore would be a decision of a future Club Committee.
If you have any queries or feedback on this or other matters then please don’t hesitate to contact Bob Henderson, Charlotte Ireson, Bernard Stillwell, Hande Reardon, John Barton, Virunee Viravong, Manjit Roseghini, or me, Caroline Beck.
* If you are a UK taxpayer and make a donation of £100 or more then, as we are an HMRC registered Community Amateur Sports Club or CASC, the Club can make your donation go further under the HMRC’s Gift Aid Scheme. Further details will be sent to eligible donors.