Project objective

Tennis Australia (TA) has submitted a proposal to redevelop the current Dendy Park Tennis Club facility into the Dendy Tennis Park, in partnership with the Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club (RSYLTC) and Dendy Park Tennis Club (DPTC).

Dendy Park Tennis Centre is currently a nineteen court en-tout-cas venue at Breen Drive, Brighton East, which is leased by Council to DPTC. The facility requires significant renewal and upgrades to adequately service the needs of the community now and into the future.

We’re consulting with our community on whether or not to grant a 21-year lease to Tennis Australia for the Dendy Park Tennis Centre. The lease includes retention of the Dendy Park Tennis Club and substantial redevelopment of the current facility.

Key terms of the lease

21 years with a term of 7 years followed by two seven-year options

Rental proposed

	Rent Per Annum
Years 1 to 7	$25,000
Years 8 to 14	$60,000
Years 15 to 21	$86,430

In addition to the increased rental return, the revised proposal includes an annual payment to Council equal to 5% of all membership fees each year.

These terms equate to $1.2M in rent over the term, as well as an initial investment of $2.55M to undertake a proposed renewal plan over three phases (subject to further funding for phases 1b and 2).

The proposal is fully funded by the tennis partners with no capital investment by Council.

Project impacts

The proposal brings together Tennis Australia as head tenant, Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club as site manager whilst maintaining Dendy Park Tennis Club as the resident club.

The tennis partnership seeks to build a world class tennis centre that provides a variety of formats and participation opportunities to suit a broader range of demographics and abilities.

Financial impacts

Key terms of the lease

21 years with a term of 7 years followed by two 7-year options

Rental proposed

	Rent Per Annum
Years 1 to 7	$25,000
Years 8 to 14	$60,000
Years 15 to 21	$86,430

In addition to the increased rental return, the revised proposal includes an annual payment to Council equal to 5% of all membership fees each year.

A 20% discount on memberships and court hire fees for Bayside residents has also been negotiated as part of the Proposal.

Proposed upgrades to the facility

The proposal is fully funded by the tennis partners with no capital investment by Council.

The initial investment includes $2.55M with a proposed plan subject to funding to undertake a full renewal over three phases.

STAGE	Development Elements	Partner/Other Funding
1	8 Clay courts; pavilion refurbishment; LED court lighting	$2.5 million
1b	New court surfaces – new game formats	$1.5 million
2	Remaining court surfaces; landscaping; further environmental initiatives; pavilion extension	$2.6 million

Court upgrades

The proposed Dendy Tennis Park project includes significant changes to the current 19 en-tout-cas court configuration.

A concept plan of the proposed project includes the following elements:

• 12 Italian (European) clay courts
• 5 hard courts
• 4 Padel courts
• 4 Pickleball courts.

The area occupied by the existing unsealed carpark is proposed to be used to allow construction of the Padel Ball courts as part of phase 1b.Council has a future capital work project to replace the carpark, subject to the outcome of the Tennis Australia Proposal.

Pavilion upgrade

The Dendy Tennis Park project includes a significant refurbishment and a minor expansion of approximately 120 square metres of the current pavilion facility. A concept plan shows the pavilion redevelopment would include:

• using Universal Design Principles, making the pavilion 100% DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant
• new/refurbished players’ lounges on the ground and first floors
• new gymnasium (ground floor) and cardio theatre (first floor) for use by Club members and elite player squads (note this is not a commercial/public access gym)
• complete refurbishment of changerooms and new male and female toilets on the ground floor
• new function/meeting room on the first floor.

Community benefits

A 20% discount on memberships and court hire fees for Bayside residents has been negotiated by Council as part of the Proposal.

A minimum of two courts will be available for general community access at all times on a ‘book-a-court’ hire basis which is an improvement on existing general community access.

The current Dendy Park Tennis Club pavilion is outdated, requiring significant refurbishment and upgrade to service the needs of the community. As a two-storey building it is non-accessible, with no lift to the first floor. Should this proposal not succeed, the Dendy Park Tennis Club will continue to be constrained in its ability to upgrade and maintain the existing facility. It is likely that without significant capital investment that the club will decline as potential members seek more contemporary facilities.

Environmental benefits

The proposal upgrades at least 8 courts to Har Tru courts which require 80% less water and less maintenance. It also proposes replacement of up to seven porous en-tout-cas courts with hard court surfaces, which will significantly reduce the use of potable water by not requiring dust suppression.

The proposed development once fully completed will include a number of sustainability measures including solar panels, battery storage, storm water harvesting and more efficient LED court lighting.

What information do we need from the community?

We’re seeking community feedback on a proposed decision to provide a new lease to Tennis Australia for the Dendy Park Tennis Centre at Breen Drive Brighton East for a period of 21 years including proposed development.

This consultation is in accordance with Council’s Community and Stakeholder Engagement Policy 2021 and Section 115 of the Local Government Act 2020.

What can the community influence?

• the proposal and decision to lease

What can’t the community influence?

• amount of funding proposed by the tenant
• partnership arrangement between Tennis Australia as head tenant, Royal South Yarra Lawn Tennis Club as site manager and Dendy Park Tennis Club as resident club.
• order of renewal/upgrade works

Stakeholders and community

This stakeholder assessment is a generalised understanding of sections of the community that have a connection to the project or matter. This information is used to understand the types of tools and techniques that will achieve the strongest and most effective outcomes for engagement and communication.

• Impact: What level of change the stakeholder / community segment may experience as a result of the project / matter
• Interest: What level of interest has been expressed or is anticipated
• Influence: Reference to the IAP2 Spectrum

Stakeholder / community	Impact	Interest	Influence
Local Residents	L	H	L
General Bayside community through the lease income/loss of lease income	L	L	L
Other Tennis Clubs	M	H	M
Current Members of the DPTC	H	H	H
Current Members of RSYLTC	H	H	H
Other Tenants at Dendy Park	H	H	M

Selected tools and techniques

The tools and techniques selected for this project are informed by the project content, stakeholders and type of feedback sought. The ongoing impact of COVID-19 may restrict our ability for face-to-face communication.

Key tools for communicating the project

• Site signage
• letters distributed to neighbouring residents
• email to all tenants at Dendy Park
• Council communication channels, including website(s), direct email, e-newsletter(s) and social media.

Key methods for gathering feedback

• online consultation via Council’s Have Your Say platform, including opportunities to ask questions and explore the proposal
• contact email address and phone number of Council Officer provided for interested community members to ask for further information or provide feedback.

Decision-making process

Community consultation will be open between 21 September and 18 October 2022. It is expected that Council will consider community feedback at its meeting on 22 November 2022.

The agenda for this meeting, including the community engagement report, will be published on the Wednesday before the Council meeting (16 November 2022) via Council's website.

Project subscribers will be notified of the results of the engagement and the Council report at this time. To receive updates on this project, click on the blue 'subscribe' button at the top of this page.

All Council meetings are live-streamed via Council’s website. Interested members of the community can ask a question of this meeting or request to be heard.

More information

Damien Darcy
Property Coordinator
9599 4496
ddarcy@bayside.vic.gov.au