TENNIS club officials have been making their play to win over residents as they look to build new premises in Dorchester.

The Dorchester Tennis and Squash Club is hoping to relocate from its current home in Sawmills Lane to a new facility to the west of Weymouth Avenue on land to the rear of Kingdom Hall.

The club held an exhibition to tackle issues raised by residents of Castle Park after a planning application earlier this year failed.

The plans are for a new complex with four indoor tennis courts, four squash courts and three outdoor courts.

The application has been resubmitted following surveys into the traffic impact, light pollution, noise impact, flood risk and landscaping of the new site.

Club president Michael Clarke told residents that the club had been looking for a new home for around 15 years in a bid to expand and modernise its operations.

He said: “We are trying to find a club that could support the interest in the game among young people in the town.”

Coach Justin Sandever said the club provided coaching for between 200 and 300 youngsters and currently has to use courts at St Osmund’s Middle school to accommodate them all.

He said the new facility would enable the club to centralise its coaching and give players of all ages more court time.

Mr Sandever added: “It would also allow us to have a long term sustainable future for tennis both in Dorchester and the county.”

Architect Philip Dyke explained that the new plans had been amended so the main building now had a curved roof with a green covering as well as one less external tennis court and increased landscaping to minimise the visual impact of the new facility.