Part of the Transforming Scotland’s Indoor Tennis (TSIT) project, the tennis centre is scheduled to open its doors next summer, primarily serving the communities of West Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian and Fife. It will be an inclusive, accessible and affordable facility providing more opportunities for people to play tennis.

Clark Contracts moved into Oriam to break ground on the development.

The £4.5 million project represents more progress on improving Scotland’s indoor tennis infrastructure, with work underway on a £1.6m TSIT development operated by Moray Sports Centre in Elgin.

This week’s ground-breaking reaffirms the shared commitment of the TSIT partners – LTA, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland – to meet the demand for indoor tennis facilities across the country.

Oriam is a world-class multi-sport performance facility that is open and accessible to all levels of athletes, as well as the local and student communities.

Ross Campbell, executive director at Oriam, was joined by Mel Young, chair, sportscotland, Paul Guyer, property director at the LTA, Blane Dodds, chief executive of Tennis Scotland, Andrew Jefferson, global chief financial officer at Heriot-Watt University and Professor Mark Biggs, vice-principal and provost of Heriot-Watt University as the diggers moved in to begin the works.

Mr Campbell said the aim of the new courts is to encourage more people to pick up a racket, particularly from the local community as well as staff and students at Heriot-Watt University.

“We are delighted to be breaking ground on this high-profile project,” he said.

“I would like to extend my thanks to our partners the LTA, sportscotland and Tennis Scotland for their continued support and investment. This tennis facility is another sign, alongside our high-profile partners and the development of our new academic programmes, that Heriot-Watt is an ambitious sporting university.

“Once opened, Oriam will be a destination for tennis for our students and local community but also nationally and we look forward to delivering this successful project in late summer 2023.”

Delayed by two years due to the pandemic, the facility will adjoin Oriam’s existing complex, which already boasts full-size indoor and outdoor synthetic pitches, seven grass pitches, 12-court and four-court multi-sport halls, public and performance gyms, hydropool, physiotherapy clinic plus many more. Once completed, the new courts will increase Oriam’s footprint by 4000 sq/m.

A number of new tennis coaching and support jobs will be created by the time the project is completed, bringing a welcome employment boost to the area. The addition of six new tennis courts also fulfils an obligation by Oriam to replace three tennis courts that were removed to make way for its arrival in 2016.

With the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup Finals both being held in Scotland later this year, and growing demand to play the game at a grassroots level, through Tennis Scotland, the announcement of the new TSIT-funded indoor centre at Oriam comes at an opportune moment for the sport.

TSIT is designed to support innovative and creative projects to meet local demand and fill the geographical gaps in indoor tennis provision that currently exist across Scotland. At £15m TSIT is the largest capital investment programme in the sport’s history in Scotland and the aim is to create more and better opportunities to play tennis all year round. The new centre at Oriam represents a significant commitment to delivering on that ambition by all the partners involved.