Controversial plan to build Andy Murray ‘legacy’ tennis centre is scrapped

A controversial project led by Sir Andy Murray’s mother Judy to build a £20m tennis centre near Dunblane has been shelved.

A spokesperson for Ms Murray’s charity, the Murray Play Foundation, said the Park of Keir project was no longer viable in its current form.

The charity said in a statement that “significant increases in construction, material, energy and labour costs, a lengthy and uncertain planning process, and protracted discussions with governing bodies” were among the factors behind the decision.

It was hoped the centre would serve as part of Sir Andy’s legacy after its completion by providing communities with greater access to sports.

Sir Andy retired from professional tennis after winning three Grand Slam singles titles, two Olympic gold medals and one Davis Cup during arguably the most competitive era in men’s tennis.

Ms Murray won an eight-year planning battle to build the complex south of Dunblane at the end of 2021.

But the scheme continued to face opposition from local campaigners due to the site being located on greenbelt land and new luxury housing being included in the overall development.

The Murray Play Foundation spokesperson said Ms Murray had spent 12 years investing “significant time” on the project and “encountered indifference and opposition for much of that period”.

The spokesperson added: “However, she and her team persevered until several factors conspired to leave the project unviable in its current form and we no longer plan to seek a detailed planning consent on the site at Park of Keir.

“The Murray family is proud of what they have contributed to tennis in the UK and remain committed to growing the game and persuading governments, sports governing bodies and others of the significant health, social and economic benefits that flow from sustained investment in sport and physical activity.”

The spokesperson said the centre would have given the next generation “greater opportunity to access courts, competition and coaching”.

They added that the charity will now begin considering what other initiatives it can can pursue to provide more people and “particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds” with the opportunity to pursue sport.

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Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell, who gave evidence at a public inquiry involving the project in 2016, said the shelving of the Park of Keir project provided an opportunity to focus on building an “appropriate” legacy for Sir Andy’s success.

He said: “I am proud the local community has stood up and protected Park of Keir.

“This area is the jewel in the crown of our greenbelt that stretches from Dunblane to Bridge of Allan, and it’s important that landscape has been saved.

“At the heart of this project was an exclusive luxury housing development that would have been damaging to the local landscape and would have eroded ancient woodlands and crucial greenbelt land.

“We all want to see a fitting tennis legacy for Andy Murray across Scotland, but building an inaccessible private sports centre, reliant on public funding, in a location that has very little local support was never going to end well.

“I hope that Sport Scotland, the LTA and other parties can re-focus on delivering a Murray legacy in communities across the whole of Scotland. People are crying out for better sports facilities in the communities where they live and they deserve them.”