further information
Tennis has been played on the Wood Rd North site since 1889.

In October 1921 the Carlton Lawn Tennis Company Limited (CLTCL), NOT to be confused with the Carlton Club on Carlton Rd Whalley Range, was incorporated and its founders each lent a sum of money to the company in order to purchase the land on which the tennis courts were situated for £775.

Its Memorandum and Articles state that:-

The objects for which the Company is established are :
"To purchase, take on lease, or otherwise acquire lands, buildings and premises in or near the City of Manchester for use as a ground for Lawn Tennis or other athletic sports, games or pastimes and any rights or privileges, machinery, plant or apparatus and any real or personal property of any kind necessary or convenient for the purposes of the Company."

In 1975 the Carlton Tennis Club merged with the Northleigh Social Club to become the Darley Lawn Tennis and Social Club (DLTSC), proceeds from the sale of the land on which the Northleigh club stood were used to build the new DLTSC clubhouse.

The DLTSC existed as a vibrant and successful concern for many years and in April 2003 three, newly refurbished, all weather tennis courts were officially opened. This development was funded by Trafford Borough Council to the sum of £55,000 raised by the club's £5,000 per annum council tax rebate granted on account of it being a sporting facility.

Unfortunately though, the social club has recently fallen on hard times. So much so that in March 2006 it closed its doors for the last time.

However, the club has a lease with the CLTCL that runs up until Dec 2010 and the tennis members have opted to carry on playing in order to fulfil their summer and winter league fixtures. The tennis members are also paying the bills that are associated with the existing building.

With the future uncertain the CLTCL invited proposals, from interested sections, on how the future of the club could be secured.

( Directors are appointed onto the board of the holding company having usually been ex-presidents of the DLTSC. A one pound share in the company is purchased by each of the, now thirteen, directors. )

In Feb 2007 a proposal was put forward by the tennis section to the Carlton directors outlining what it thought to be a viable plan to retain tennis on the site through the disposal of the front strip of land raising sufficient funds to build a new, smaller, clubhouse and erect additional floodlighting for the three existing all weather tennis courts.

At the same meeting a Carlton director also tabled a proposal to resurrect the social club.

Both proposals were rejected by the Carlton Ltd.

On Friday the 14th of Sept 2007 the Carlton directors met once more and a resolution was passed by 7 votes to 6 to sell the whole of the Wood Rd North site. This, of course, came as a great disappointment. You may wish to ask the individual directors of Carlton Ltd which way they voted and what they intend doing with their share of the proceeds from the sale of the land but the Darley committee has not been informed of who voted for or against the sale.
 
The thirteen directors are:
Donald Cochrane, Stanley Renshaw, Brian Riley, Peter Chronnell, Peter Massey, Ian Chinnery,

Joseph Farrell, Keith Wetherill, Alfred Borland, Graham Thomas, David Mulrooney, Lindsay Mulrooney and Neil Moss.

We fully support the six who voted against the sale and consider them to have acted honourably and with the greatest integrity in upholding what, we believe, is the spirit of the constitution of the CLTCL.

It is very sad that the social club has closed its doors. We believe this was not due to a lack of support but related to the shifting demographics of the area. Clubs like the Darley need to adapt to the changing needs of its immediate population and this was not foreseen early enough. Instead of being able to concentrate on meeting these challenges too much time had to be spent addressing other more pressing issues. As well as this, increased local competition brought about by the relaxation of the licensing laws and the general unwelcoming atmosphere, as substantiated by the club survey, contributed towards the closure of the social club.

Only tennis remains on the site now and it is hoped that the vast majority of the membership will not resent this. This situation has occurred purely due to the circumstances surrounding the club. The committee would like to stress that it is NOT due to the refurbishment of the tennis courts. Funds for this were made available due to the annual Trafford Borough Council tax rebate and HAD to be spent on tennis / sport development which does not encompass pool, snooker, or darts. The rebate was only granted because of tennis and for no other reason. If tennis had not existed then the club would have needed to pay £5,000 to the council each year. The loan of £20,000 made by the club to assist in the funding of the refurbishment was also repaid IN FULL.

On 13th Oct 2007 we received Mr Brian Riley's letter of resignation from the position of club treasurer and I'm sure we would all like to thank him for his MANY years of service. Ms Jac Murray has kindly volunteered to take on the role of acting treasurer until the post can be officially filled by election.
Our thoughts and deepest sympathy also go out to the friends and family of Peter Horner, an ex-president of the club, who recently passed away.

The tennis courts and usual changing facilities will remain available to all paid-up tennis members until further notice.

It is still a matter of conjecture as to what the future holds. The site is only worth what a developer is willing to pay for it and that depends on what planning permission is granted. The four tennis courts are designated as "Open Space and Recreation" by Trafford Borough Council.

In light of this restriction, in Jan 2008, Trafford Council Planning Dept accepted application H/OUT/68743 submitted by the DLTSC and essentially it is the same outline proposal that was put before the Carlton Ltd in Feb 2007. To actually carry out this development would require the backing and approval of the Carlton Ltd which we know will not be forthcoming. However, the application contains supporting documentation and now sets down on record, for all to see, the planning criteria that would have to be met by any would-be developer. The current lease is also lodged at the Land Registry.

In Dec 2007 the club secretary received a letter from the Carlton Ltd outlining, in brief, a proposal for tennis playing facilities to be made available in Longford Park in association with Trafford Borough Council Leisure Department.

The committee responded with a letter in Jan 2008 expressing reservations about the scheme on the grounds of safety and lack of proximity to the current site. Trafford Borough Council were approached by two of the directors of the Carlton and the DLTSC was not consulted until March 2008.

In March 2008 a representation of the tennis membership was invited and duly attended a viewing of the proposal at Longford Park Athletics stadium.

In April 2008 a meeting of tennis members was held to discuss the Longford Park proposal and it was rejected by an overwhelming majority.

As far as the Carlton Lawn Tennis Company Limited is concerned there is little doubt as to why it was initially created as stated in its Memorandum and Articles of Association.

In the opinion of many, the spirit of its constitution is undisputed: it was set up to hold the land on trust to provide a sporting and social facility for the local community, in particular to provide grounds for the game of lawn tennis.

Since its incorporation in 1921 the Carlton LTC Ltd has never sought to make a profit. It has been a not-for-profit company from the outset and now, suddenly, seven of the directors wish to sell the land !

How do they justify their decision?

With this in mind we hope you will support the current committee in its quest to retain tennis on the Wood Road North site for generations to come, for the local community, our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren!

There is no reason to sell the land and no reason why tennis cannot be played there for another 119 years.

The tennis members' resolve to continue playing tennis has in fact bought the club some valuable time in which to consider its options. It is not inconceivable that, with the right backing and investment, the social club could be resurrected and the committee is willing to consider any serious proposals put forward that include a sound and viable business plan.

The Darley Lawn Tennis and Social Club Committee
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