AN Exmouth-based sports club has said its plans to sell surplus land for homes and improve and expand its facilities would put it on a “sustainable financial footing”.

Cranford Sports Club, on the town’s Salterton Road, is hoping to serve up an expansion after submitting plans for new and improved facilities as it simultaneously seeks to sell surplus land for housing.

The club wants to build a new exercise studio as part of wide-ranging plans that include refurbishing two outdoor tennis courts and building a third.

It also wants to build a new exercise studio and provide new wet changing facilities.

Those plans have just been submitted by the club, but are inherently linked to one it submitted in August last year that seeks to sell off part of the club’s land – five outdoor tennis courts – for eight homes.

“The proceeds not only prevent closure but also allow us to enhance and enrich the sports health and wellbeing facilities and services required to meet the needs of all users,” documents submitted with the plans state.

“This will grow the usage by the community, increasing income and so putting the club on a sustainable financial footing.”

The documents add that the sale of the surplus tennis courts would provide funds “to expand and enhance the facilities within the club”, with the proceeds also allowing it to “clear its existing debts and help secure the future of the club”.

As part of its plans, it has included the names of people it has secured advice from, including the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) and Sports England, which do not appear to have any issues with the plans.

The club said the LTA required three courts for league tennis to take place, hence its plans to build a new third court and refurbish the remaining two.

The club described itself as a community amateur sports club that provides sport and fitness facilities to around 1,600 residents in East Devon.

It said its gym, swimming pool and exercise studies are used by club members, schools and charities, as well as its badminton and pickleball hall.

The club said the land for housing was unused, and its sale was “an integral part of the strategy to ensure the long term future viability of the Cranford Club”.

It added that any funding paid by a housing developer towards community assets – known in the planning process as Section 106 money – would be “ringfenced and reinvested into the club”.

A spokesperson for the Cranford Sports Club directors said: “We know there will be strong interest in these proposals, and we welcome constructive engagement as the planning process moves forward.

“Our priority is straightforward: to secure long-term, community-focused sports and leisure provision at Cranford, supported by investment that enhances facilities and improves the experience for current and future users. We will provide further updates at the appropriate stages of the planning process.”

Four residents have lodged objections to the housing proposals, with one stating they didn’t necessarily disagree with the notion of houses being located there, but had concerns that the number of proposed properties “overdevelops the site and introduces issues that could be avoided with a more considered design”.

Another resident, John Jacobs, claims the plans bring “substantive highway safety and access concerns”, while residents named as Mr and Mrs Harrison say the plans would “have a severe impact on the enjoyment of our own property”.

The couple also raised fears that development would exacerbate water drainage problems in the area.

And Kate Koch said the proposed road narrowing would “reduce the availability of on-street parking” for the nearby Ballet Arts dance studio, and that additional traffic caused by the homes would “affect the already inadequate junction of Cranford View and Salterton Road”.

Alongside the planning updates, the club revealed that it had also undertaken an “exhaustive tender exercise” to identify an operator for the club to “help deliver a sustainable future” and to “maximise community benefit”.

“Following this process, LED Community Leisure was appointed as preferred operator, having presented the strongest overall plan — combining a robust commercial approach with clear local focus and community outcomes,” the spokesperson added.

LED is the organisation responsible for running the leisure centres owned by East Devon District Council including those in Exmouth, Honiton and Sidmouth. It operates in 11 locations in total across Devon and Somerset.

No date has yet been set for East Devon District Council’s planning committee to discuss the applications.