Sir Andy Murray’s legacy of a £20 million tennis and sports complex in his home town is in tatters after the plan was unexpectedly withdrawn.

The Murray Play Foundation, the charity behind the proposals, announced that the decision was due to a combination of factors.

These include “significant increases in construction, material, energy and labour costs, a lengthy and uncertain planning process, and protracted discussions with governing bodies.”

Murray’s mother Judy gained outline planning permission to create a venue that would have offered grassroots facilities and employed a network of coaches at Park of Keir, close to Dunblane.

Andy Murray and his brother Jamie, the former world doubles No 1, were keen to return home to nurture future winners and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) announced it would commit £5 million towards the project, matched by Scottish government funding.

Andy, who shares a home with his wife Kim and the their four children in Surrey, has said he wants to head north in retirement.

In an earlier statement he said: “I plan to spend a lot more time in Scotland and I’m sure Jamie will do the same,” he said. “We are both really keen to inspire the next generation of Scottish tennis players and coaches, so we will be regular visitors to Park of Keir.”

However, the Foundation spokesman said: “It is with deep regret and sorrow that we bring this project to an end, and with it a unique opportunity for a sporting legacy from the careers of two young men from Dunblane who reached the top of their sport and inspired countless people to play the game.

“Judy has been involved in promoting sport and tennis her whole life. This not-for-profit project was an opportunity to build a base in Scotland that would have lasted beyond her lifetime and given the next generation greater opportunity to access courts, competition and coaching.

“Over 12 years, Judy has invested significant time and encountered indifference and opposition for much of that period. However, she and her team persevered until several factors conspired to leave the project unviable in its current form and we no longer plan to seek a detailed planning consent on the site at Park of Keir.”

He added: “The Murray family is proud of what they have contributed to tennis in the UK and remain committed to growing the game and persuading governments, sports governing bodies and others of the significant health, social and economic benefits that flow from sustained investment in sport and physical activity.

“We will now take time to consider what other initiatives might be aligned to the purpose of our charity, which is essentially to provide more people — particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds — with the opportunity to pursue sport, fitness and physical activity.”

The Scottish Greens say now is the time to focus on building an appropriate legacy on the back of Andy Murray’s success.

The development on wooded hills between Bridge of Allan and Dunblane was opposed by local people and the Scottish Greens over many years. Green MSP Mark Ruskell gave evidence at the public inquiry against the project in 2016.

In 2021 the Scottish Government overturned the decision of Stirling Council to reject the project.

The Scottish Greens want SportScotland funding towards Andy Murray’s legacy to focus on building grassroots facilities across Scotland to ensure all young people can access tennis courts and training, empowering the next generation of Scottish tennis superstars.

Mr Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, said: “I am proud the local community has stood up and protected Park of Keir. This area is the jewel in the crown of our greenbelt that stretches from Dunblane to Bridge of Allan, and it’s important that landscape has been saved.

“At the heart of this project was an exclusive luxury housing development that would have been damaging to the local landscape and would have eroded ancient woodlands and crucial greenbelt land.

“We all want to see a fitting tennis legacy for Andy Murray across Scotland, but building an inaccessible private sports centre, reliant on public funding, in a location that has very little local support was never going to end well. 

“I hope that Sport Scotland, the LTA and other parties can re-focus on delivering a Murray legacy in communities across the whole of Scotland. People are crying out for better sports facilities in the communities where they live and they deserve them.”