Former police station site to become padel courts

Padel is similar to tennis and is played on an enclosed court

A padel club's plan to install four outdoor courts on empty land that used to be occupied by Eltham police station has been approved by Greenwich Council.

The racquet sport, which blends elements of tennis and squash, is becoming increasingly popular, but players have said there are not enough courts to keep up with demand.

According to planning documents, padel is the fastest-growing racquet sport in the world, with the Lawn Tennis Association calling it "easy to play, fun and extremely sociable".

Eltham police station, which was built in 1937 and closed in 2022, was knocked down soon after permission to demolish it was granted, but the plot has been vacant since then.

The police station pictured in 2021, the year before its demolition

Alongside four floodlit courts, planning permission has been granted to the London Padel Club to build a bar/lounge and seating area, toilets and changing facilities, office space, storage, outdoor seating and parking for cars and bikes.

Although the proposal has been approved, the application was only for temporary planning permission of five years, meaning the club only has permission to operate until 2030.

Greenwich Council has also received an application to build facilities for pickleball, another racquet sport that is growing in popularity.

Pickleball is played in more than 80 countries

ClubPickle wants to build an indoor pickleball facility and clubhouse by the Greenwich Peninsula Golf Range.

According to ClubPickle, more than 50 million people play the sport globally and it is the most accessible racquet sport in the world.

Although pickleball and padel are similar, key differences include that padel is played in a bigger, enclosed court while pickleball is played on a smaller, open one.

They are also played with different types of racquets and balls.

The Greenwich pickleball club would have 12 indoor courts alongside a clubhouse, café, toilets and showers.

If approved, the club would be built on land that is currently used for storage and parking, by the side of the golf range.

ClubPickle already operates one of London's largest pickleball clubs in Acton, west London.