The Times - UK (2021-12-22)

the times | Wednesday December 22 2021 2GM 3

News

It was a clash of big-hitters equal to any
match at Wimbledon or Roland Garros.
However, Judy Murray has emerged
triumphant in her struggle against one
of Scotland’s wealthiest women.
Murray is trying to create a £40 mil-
lion tennis and golf hub on the outskirts
of Dunblane. The proposal includes 19
luxury homes, an 18-hole golf course, a
four-star hotel and a tennis centre that
she said would pay tribute to her sons,
Sir Andy and Jamie Murray.
Her plans were originally rejected by
councillors after residents claimed they
would lead to the destruction of Park of
Keir, a popular beauty spot.
She had also faced stiff resistance
from Ambathie Developments, a little-
known firm whose sole director is Ann
Gloag, co-founder of the Stagecoach
transport group. It had been granted
official objector status.
However, Murray, 62, broke back, se-
curing endorsements from Sir Alex
Ferguson and Colin Montgomerie, as
well as her sons.
Now the Scottish government has
overturned the original ruling and

granted permission for the project to go

ahead after concluding that the devel-

opment is of regional and national sig-

nificance for Scottish sport.

Timothy Bain, the Scottish govern-

ment’s reporter, who is appointed by

ministers to rule on appeals against

planning authorities, said: “The pro-

posed tennis and golf centre in parti-

cular would make an important con-

tribution to the aim of increasing

participation in both sports while

providing facilities for the commu-

nity. There will also be eco-

nomic benefits, to the local

area and more widely.”

He added: “In this in-

stance the benefits of the

proposed scheme are

sufficient to outweigh the

loss of the green belt at this

location.”

Match point Murray in property row

His ruling knocked Murray’s oppo-

nents to the turf. Mark Ruskell, the

Green MSP for the area, who in his pre-

vious role as a local councillor had cast

his vote to sink the plans, admitted he

was “gutted”.

He said: “This decision will destroy a

historic landscape that has existed at

Park of Keir for centuries. This develop-

ment was always more about building

exclusive rural mansions.”

Dunblane community council

said it was hugely disappointed:

“It is a decision which ignores

widespread local concerns and

makes a mockery of the plan-

ning process.”

Kelvin Holdsworth, provost of

St Mary’s Cathedral in Glasgow,

tweeted: “Sorry to hear the Scot-

tish government has ap-

proved the Park of Keir

development.”

Speaking before the

ruling, Murray

claimed the develop-

ment would help to

create future

champions like her

sons. “If we don’t get

on and build ambitious and exciting

projects like this one we have created

for Park of Keir, we will miss the oppor-

tunity,” she said.

“I’m passionate about creating a last-

ing legacy from the successes of Jamie

and Andy, and about getting more

people playing and teaching sport. I

want Scotland to be a healthier and

more active nation, and I can’t wait to

start developing the plans.”

Gloag, a nurse turned entrepreneur

who in 2011 was awarded the Eleanor

Roosevelt Val-Kill medal for her charit-

able work — putting her in the rarefied

company of Hillary Clinton and Queen

Noor of Jordan — has repeatedly de-

clined to comment publicly on her rea-

sons for opposing Murray’s proposals.

Approval was subject to 22 condi-

tions, including a proviso that the new

houses may be occupied only once the

tennis and golf centres are open to the

public. This is to ensure the homes are

built “as part of a comprehensive pack-

age of development and not independ-

ently”. A further condition limits the

number of houses to 19, which should

raise the amount of money needed to

fund the project.

An artist’s impression of the luxury tennis and housing property which

Judy Murray has received permission to build near Dunblane

E

mma Raducanu

has always been

a high-flyer,

and yesterday

the young

tennis star proved as

much when she

announced a lucrative

deal to promote

British Airways

(Andrew Ellson writes).

The 18-year-old

winner of the US Open

wrote on social media

that she was “fascinated

by aviation”.

The deal is the latest

commercial tie-up for

the newly crowned BBC

sports personality of the

year. Since her historic

victory at Flushing

Meadows in New York,

where she became the

first female British

winner of a tennis

grand-slam event since

Virginia Wade in 1977,

she has signed deals

with the jeweller Tiffany

& Co, the fashion house

Dior, the water company

Evian and now BA.

The size of the airline

deal was not revealed

but it is certain to run

into millions of pounds.

When Raducanu

became a global

ambassador for Tiffany

in September, the

contract was reported to

be worth £2 million.

Raducanu already had

deals with Nike and the

tennis brand Wilson.

Those were signed

before her US Open

victory and are thought

to be one-year rolling

contracts paying

in the region of

£100,000. When

the terms end,

there is likely

to be a

scramble

among the

top brands

to secure

the player’s

signature

long term.

After the Japanese

tennis player Naomi

Osaka won her first US

Open, Nike offered her

a deal worth more than

£7 million a year for

five years.

Marketing experts say

Raducanu appeals to big

brands because of her

clean-cut image, good

looks and international

heritage. She has a

Romanian father and a

Chinese mother and

speaks fluent Mandarin.

Some fans expressed

concerns on Raducanu’s

Instagram page

yesterday that all her

commercial tie-ups

might lessen her focus

on tennis. Earlier this

month Wade said

Raducanu, who is

ranked 19th in

the world,

must not let

brands “turn

her head”.

In an

interview with

the Radio

Times she said:

“You’ve got to

remember you

got [the deals]

because you’re a

good tennis player,

and not for any

other reason. So

you’d better stay

being a good tennis

player.”

Raducanu flying

high with BA deal

Netting a fortune

Only three women

ranked in Forbes’s

highest-paid tennis

players of the year:

6 Naomi Osaka

On-court earnings:

£3.8 million

Total: £45.3 million

6 Serena Williams

On-court: £1.3 million

Total: £31 million

6 Ashleigh Barty

On-court: £2.9 million

Total: £4.4 million

Marc Horne

Since her astonishing victory at the

US Open, Emma Raducanu has

secured lucrative sponsorship deals

with Evian, TIffany and now BA