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Judy Murray has accepted defeat in her controversial plans to build a tennis and sports centre near Dunblane that would have also served as the local “legacy” for sons Andy and Jamie Murray following the end of their playing careers.
The project was described as a “unique opportunity” to build on the sporting achievements of Andy and Jamie Murray by providing affordable access to sports facilities. Plans for indoor and outdoor tennis courts, as well as padel and pickleball courts, were drawn up as part of the proposed £20m multisport centre, while the development also included proposals for a hotel, golf course and Murray museum.
However, the project faced fierce opposition from local residents and campaign groups who objected to the centre being built on green belt land and in close proximity to Dunblane and neighbouring town Bridge of Allan. Park of Keir is a popular woodland area and the new sports facility would have added to existing tennis clubs in both Dunblane and Bridge of Allan, as well as facilities at the University of Stirling.
The development was also dependent on the building of luxury housing on the Park of Keir site, which was particularly unpopular with campaigners. Ultimately, a lack of investment in the project led to Judy Murray and her Murray Play Foundation deciding that it could not go ahead without public funding to cover the increased construction costs of the £20m facility.
The decision comes after more than a decade of disagreement between developers, campaign groups, the local authority Stirling Council and the Scottish Government, who controversially overturned a decision to reject planning permission for the site in 2021. At the time, ministers said the benefits of the proposed scheme were “sufficient to outweigh the loss of the green belt”.
More recently, as Andy Murray’s historic career drew to a close at Wimbledon and the Olympics, heightening the desire to construct a tennis centre near the hometown of the two-time Wimbledon champion, the project received fresh backing from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). The LTA pledged £5m to the plans but the groups could not agree on what that financial support would grant them.
A spokesperson for the Murray Play Foundation said: “It is with deep regret and sorrow that we bring this project to an end, and with it a unique opportunity for a sporting legacy from the careers of two young men from Dunblane who reached the top of their sport and inspired countless people to play the game.
“Judy has been involved in promoting sport and tennis her whole life. This not-for-profit project was an opportunity to build a base in Scotland that would have lasted beyond her lifetime and given the next generation greater opportunity to access courts, competition, and coaching.
“Over 12 years, Judy has invested significant time and encountered indifference and opposition for much of that period. However, she and her team persevered until several factors conspired to leave the project unviable in its current form and we no longer plan to seek a detailed planning consent on the site at Park of Keir.”
While the project was spearheaded by Judy Murray, a coach to the Murray brothers when they were young children, both Andy and Jamie supported the plans and saw the centre as an opportunity to leave a lasting mark on their local community. The Murray family wanted to create a facility that could encourage the next generation of tennis stars in Scotland, no matter their background.
But for campaigners and local groups such as the Dunblane Community Council, the motivation behind building accessible sporting facilities and providing a legacy for the Murray family stood at odds with the location of the site and the decision to include luxury housing as part of the development.
Mark Ruskell, Scottish Green Party MSP for Mid-Scotland & Fife Region and a long-standing opponent of the plans, told the Independent: “At the heart of this project was an exclusive luxury housing development that would have decimated treasured local greenspace.
“Everyone wants to see a strong Andy Murray tennis legacy for Scotland, but building an inaccessible private sports centre, reliant on public funds, in a location that has very little local support was never going to end well. I hope that Sport Scotland, the LTA and other parties can re-focus on delivering a Murray legacy in communities across the whole of Scotland.”
The project received initial support from Sir Alex Ferguson and Colin Montgomerie and was last month backed by tennis icon Billie Jean King, who said it would be the “best legacy” for the Murray family. Andy played the final tennis match of his career at the Paris Olympics just two weeks ago.
A spokesperson for the Murray Play Foundation added: “We will now take time to consider what other initiatives might be aligned to the purpose of our charity, which is essentially to provide more people – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – with the opportunity to pursue sport, fitness and physical activity.”
