Richmond Council has approved a £285,731.08 contract to redesign and rebuild the outdoor games court at the White House community centre in Hampton. The refurbished space is intended for football, basketball and netball.
The decision allows the council to enter into an agreement with McArdle Sport-Tec Limited to design, refurbish and construct the multi-use games area. The contract sum excludes VAT. The authority’s executive director of environment approved the proposal on 10 November.
Further steps remain before the contract is signed. The council’s legal services team must approve its final form and confirm how it should be executed. The council’s financial assessment also says an increase in the project’s capital budget will require approval.
Funding the refurbishment
The White House court is being developed as a PlayZone under a Football Foundation programme that supports outdoor facilities for football and other activities. The foundation is expected to contribute 75 per cent of the total project cost, with the council providing the remaining share.
The council had already set aside £260,000 in its capital programme, on a 75-25 funding split. The proposed contract is £25,731.08 above that budget. The foundation has agreed to maintain its 75 per cent contribution towards the increased cost, while the council says its additional share will be approximately £6,500.
That extra council contribution can be met from its revenue budget, the council’s financial assessment says. The assessment says an increase of approximately £26,000 to the capital programme budget will need approval. The approved contract amount and the capital budget are separate figures; the decision does not mean every remaining financial or contractual step has been completed.
The proposed contractor was put forward through the foundation’s procurement framework. The project concerns the existing court at Hampton Community Centre on The Avenue, rather than a new facility at a different site. The plan calls for a tarmac playing surface suitable for the three named sports.
Earlier feedback on the court
The council consulted residents and other interested people about the games area from 4 November to 2 December 2024, while preparing an application for funding. The consultation described the existing facility as unfit for use and asked what activities people wanted, who they would like to play with and how the space could be improved.
There were 98 responses to the survey. Of the 83 people who answered the question about what they would like to play, 46 selected netball, 41 football and 30 basketball. Respondents could identify more than one activity. The figures describe the people who answered that question, not a representative vote by the whole neighbourhood.
Among 96 respondents to a question about improvements, 87 selected a better surface and the same number selected lighting. New pitch markings and a booking system were also among the choices. Those answers record preferences expressed in the consultation; they do not establish that every requested feature has been included in the approved contract.
The council says the feedback supported the sports selected for the PlayZone and helped inform an activity plan for the site once it is completed. The council’s decision report says not proceeding would leave the existing games area unusable.
Work still to come
A construction environmental management plan has been approved by the local planning authority, the council’s report says. It addresses potential construction impacts including noise, dust, waste, ecology and traffic, as well as monitoring at the site.
No start or opening date has been announced. Details of booking arrangements, opening hours and any charges have not been confirmed in the decision. The approval therefore sets a route towards rebuilding the court, but residents will have to wait for the outstanding contract and budget steps, and for practical information about when and how the facility will be available.
