Anger at plan to replace indoor tennis with padel

Tennis players at Withdean Sports Complex are not happy with a proposal to change indoor tennis courts into padel courts

More than 1,000 people have signed a petition calling for two indoor tennis courts in Brighton not to be replaced with padel courts.

The two courts at Withdean Sports Complex were due to be replaced in August, but the decision is now on hold until Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) meet with members later this month.

Members of the sports centre said that about 260 regular players would not have an affordable place to play tennis during the winter if the padel courts were built.

BHCC said it appreciated the members' concerns and wanted to hear more from them but said padel was an "incredibly inclusive sport and proving very popular".

There are also plans for three covered padel courts which were approved in July 2023, but these have not been built yet.

There are three outdoor courts at Withdean but these are not covered from the rain and are also used for netball

Madeleine Cook, who represents Save Withdean Tennis Courts, said: "The impact could be catastrophic for lots of different groups of people.

"There's a big tennis following here of all ages. Withdean Tennis Academy has 180 children who train here."

Other members said there needed to be opportunities for young people to play consistently throughout the year, while others said the council should not "take away a resource that isn't replicated anywhere".

Padel is played in an enclosed court and is often described as a hybrid of tennis and squash

The four padel courts in the city are at Hove Beach Park on the seafront, and there was a temporary court at Withdean.

Figures from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) revealed that more than 400,000 people were playing padel in Great Britain last year compared to 15,000 in 2019.

The LTA told BBC Sussex said it wanted to preserve well-used indoor tennis courts wherever it could while growing opportunities for padel.

A spokesperson said: "Withdean offers the only indoor tennis courts in the local area, providing opportunities for the community to pick up a racket and play, year-round."

It said it had not been consulted on the proposals but would be making representations to the city council and Freedom Leisure to retain the indoor tennis courts at Withdean.

'Inclusive sport'

In a statement on its website, Freedom Leisure said it fully recognised "the change may disappoint some indoor tennis users".

It said it was working closely with affected customers and coaches, providing alternative tennis options where possible and along with BHCC, exploring long-term investment in covered outdoor tennis courts at Withdean.

Councillor Alan Robins, cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries at BHCC, said the authority was committed to improving sports facilities for everyone in the city and had received many messages of support for the proposed change.

He added: "We want all of these [facilities] to be inclusive and well-used.

"Padel is an incredibly inclusive sport and proving very popular and successful at helping people get active and stay healthy."

Robins said the indoor tennis courts at Withdean were only in use "for around a third of the time" they were available.

He said the council appreciated the members' concerns and wanted to "hear from them about how we can best use our leisure facilities to accommodate their needs".

A decision will be confirmed after their meeting, he added.