The Hunter tennis club responsible for a cluster of well-known suburban courts is in negotiations with the NSW Crown Lands department to renew its lease and pave the way for a revamp.
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Newcastle and District Tennis Association has leased the site, which now houses Top Spin Tennis, at Broadmeadow for the past 118 years.
While the 24 courts in regular use are in good condition, part of the site near Lambton Road containing five disused playing surfaces has fallen into disrepair in recent years.
The tennis association's president Ellen Gordon said part of the latest lease negotiation revolved around the possibility of making the space home to an additional activity.
Ms Gordon would not go into further detail because the lease negotiation was ongoing, though she hoped it would be finalised "sooner rather than later".
"That will allow us to certainly look for progress on the site," she told the Newcastle Herald.
"We've had some interest and support from Crown Lands to allow us to look at potentially a sport complimentary to tennis to bring onto the front courts.
"There are 24 courts already out the back which is ample to service. We've got a good operator, they fill the night comps five nights a week and coaching and everything like that.
"Maintenance is horrendous, to go to 29 courts just isn't viable. We're looking for another income stream and that would certainly help with not only maintenance but also allow us to do some improvements on the site."
Ms Gordon said suggestions that the five disused courts could be restored for tennis was not viable.
The front courts were slurry-based and had incorrect sloping profiles, she said, which meant restorations would cost millions of dollars.
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