Club Development

Phase 2 Now Complete!

Our next stage of club improvements is about to start with the enlargement and refit of the men's changing rooms, plus the addition of a bar balcony outside seating area. This project has been in the planning for the last 18 months and has finally been given the green light following a successful bid for part funding from Eastleigh Borough Council (Sec 106 Local Development Grant) and the building plans for the work being passed through with no issues.

The men's changing rooms have been long overdue a refurbishment and also the fact that they are too small to make them really fit for purpose, caused us to look for a way to make the limited space more useable. We are achieving this by pushing out the front wall for the entire length of the existing changing rooms and showers towards the car park and then changing the layout to provide separate WC, changing and shower areas. The showers will be 4 cubicle type units with individually controlled valves and drying off areas. The changing area will be nearly 40% larger than we have currently. There will be non slip safety flooring, new easy to clean and more hygienic benches and bag storage shelving, plus eco friendly LED lighting.

The bar will have a new outside seating area which is accessed via a door at the top of the stairs where the West facing window is now situated. This will lead out onto a partially screened off area with tables and chairs available for members to enjoy some post match refreshment or morning coffee alfresco style with a view over the park.

We are also embarking on a 12-18 month project to bring our courts up to A1 condition, starting with the re-plastering of court one in March 2021. This will be followed by Court 2 and then 3 in 2022. All floors will be sanded and re-lined as well this year. The ladies changing rooms will also be inline for improving further with plastered walls and new benchwork. We also wish to improve the externals of the club by resurfacing the car park and covering the old stained brickwork with a colour that blends in with the rest of the building viewed from the front and park sides. All windows will eventually be matched to the recent fitments in 2017. Finally we will be scoping out how we can install air conditioning into the gym and the bar to make those areas, which can suffer during the heat, more comfortable during the warmer months.

While the cost of this work is of course substantial, we believe the improvements being gained over the next 3-4 years, together with our recent major development project in 2017 to build a new gym, foyer, accessible WC and kitchen, will bring our club up to the highest standard possible and apart from maybe a 4th court, which while an aspiration, is likely to prove very difficult to achieve, we can really do no more. All this is subject to having sufficient funds, however we are currently on a sound financial footing enabling us to move forward with the latest project. As one of very few community sports clubs in the area, together with the fast growing population in the close vicinity, our future can be seen to be secure for many years to come.

The plans for the immediate work starting can be seen below. The contract has been awarded to R&N Carpentry Ltd who will be starting work in early March 2021. Disruption to the club and members will be minimal should we be open again before the work is completed.

If you have any questions please email fairoaksquash@gmail.com