Chair’s Message – 30 June 2023
I hope everyone is enjoying the incredible start to the summer, perfect conditions for people to get out onto the course, courts, and croquet. The Club looks magnificent and huge congratulations to the executive team in creating such a wonderful environment for us all. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chairs of other London clubs recently, and they were all very impressed with the way we have developed our 105 acres over the last 20 years.
I was also able to see how well the excellent staging of the recent Golf and Tennis Club Championships brought Members together enjoying the social aspects of our gardens. Their potential for more events and general Member use needs exploring further by the team.
Looking forward and back to business, June saw the first meeting of the new Board post the AGM. We are now focused on the creation of a three-year development plan (The Plan) linking into the broader Masterplan 2035. The intention is to increase our communication with Members and accelerate our execution given the current complexity in costs, staffing and planning approvals. We need to continue to invest in our club’s future and want to be transparent with, and get feedback from, all Members. We are a 5,000+ members’ club, so we all must recognise we are seeking to improve the Club as a whole, rather than any section or individual’s preference. Nevertheless, we have the capability to invest in several projects without undue finance or operating risk.
Click here for the 2023 AGM presentation to Members.
The summary of the key development is below but we are working towards the following timeline.
June
◊ Board reviewed a first draft of the development plan
◊ Updated Master Plan submitted on a pre-application basis with the Wandsworth Borough planning team
◊ Reassess phasing and options given the pre-application planning feedback
◊ AGM presentation slides available on the club website
July
◊ Board review and recommend amended 3-year Plan
◊ 3-year Plan presented to Members for feedback as part of a member survey
September
◊ Member feedback collated and input into The Plan
◊ Board strategy and Plan review
◊ Submit formal planning approval for the nearer term projects
October
◊ Board to hold an open meeting to discuss the Plan
◊ Request tenders and negotiate near-term projects
November
◊ Receive formal planning approvals
◊ Approve projects and start the preparation
End of 2023/ start of 2024
◊ Start work on the key projects
Selected near-term Key Elements of the 3-Year Development Plan include:
Clubhouse and Member Experience
◊ Refurbishment and expansion of the bar area
◊ Expansion of the decking overlooking the gardens
◊ Electrification of the kitchen. This will increase our capacity as it allows us to alter the function and type of equipment used. It will also be connected into our recent successful solar energy installation giving energy cost savings. This will result in us having to close the kitchen for a couple of weeks so we aim to tie this into the bar refurbishment project.
◊ Evaluation of ways to develop and use all our outdoor spaces
◊ Changing room refurbishment options to be re-evaluated given cost increases
Health and Wellness – Tulloch Clinic refurbishment and change of operator
Inga Tulloch has informed us of her desire to retire over the next couple of years and has asked if we can transfer her current contract with the Club to a well-established new provider. We have met the provider and our due diligence tests have involved visiting some of their existing locations. We have been very impressed with their capability and have agreed with Inga and the provider that we are prepared to move forward. Although not yet fully completed, we anticipate the following next steps
◊ Inga and the provider to sign off their contract
◊ Board will finalise a new operating contract with the new provider. The intent is that the current staff will transition through TUPE to the new company, and that Inga will remain involved for the next year or two to facilitate the handover.
◊ Provider will start operating the service this summer and will market their services to Members
◊ New investment into the building and equipment at the end of the year
Indoor Golf Centre
This remains a key priority of the Board, but given we are looking to build a permanent structure on Metropolitan Open Land we have to work closely with the planning officers. We are waiting on feedback from the planning department and will involve Members as part of the Member survey
Padel and Pickle Hub
We are actively looking at how and where we can locate several new Padel and Pickle courts. One of the key issues is evaluating how many new covered courts we can build and where. This is an active discussion, and we hope to have a recommendation by the July Board meeting, which if approved would go into the Member survey.
There are various other projects being considered but I hope Members can see the Board and Executive team are working hard this summer so we can all input into the Development Masterplan.
Family Barbecue evenings by the Outdoor Pool
The Family Forum has requested that we stage some family barbecues by the Outdoor Pool over the summer. We are going to close the Club Café Bistro on Thursday and Friday evenings from 13th July and reopen them in September. In the meantime, we will be staging Family Barbecue events on Friday evenings starting on 14th July thorough to 8th September. Please click here for more details.
Please make the most of our amazing Club.
Best wishes,
Michael