NEW facilities for the Borough Gardens have moved a step closer.

Plans for two new tennis courts and a climbing boulder were discussed by Dorchester Town Council’s management committee.

The tennis courts are set to be constructed at the old bowling green.

The committee heard how The Lawn Tennis Association’s technical expert has now visited the site and undertaken a survey.

Detailed specifications and drawings will now be prepared with plans to seek permissions, obtain and evaluate tenders over the summer before the project starts in September or October this year.

One of the main issues the committee considered was access to the new courts, with the gardens currently open from dawn to dusk or 9pm, whichever is earlier.

The committee heard how for a few weeks during the summer, people can play tennis at the Trinity Street courts for up to an hour later than the courts currently in the garden.

With plans to use the Trinity Street courts land for affordable housing, it was suggested a new access could be provided from Bowling Alley Walk so the courts could be accessed for the extra hour.

Cllr Stella Jones suggested that the council monitors usage of the courts on Trinity Street between 9pm and 10pm to see if there was any need for this.

It was also suggested that if people were playing gardens staff could be asked to wait for them to finish.

The other proposal was for a climbing boulder, near to the children’s play park.

The boulder would be used by children and would be around 2 metres high and five metres long.

Councillors were shown plans for two different boulders, one costing around £11,000 and one costing around £15,000, with councillors stating a preferred option of the more expensive one.

The boulder would provide another opportunity for physical exercise for young people in the park.

The council agreed to move forward with this project and it will now have to go before the council’s Policy Committee who will consider funding for the proposal.