New padel courts approved for popular racquet sport

Often simplified as a mash-up of tennis and squash, padel is played with a perforated bat on an enclosed court

A city is set to get its second set of courts on which residents can play the increasingly popular tennis-like sport of padel.

The courts will be situated at the Broughton and District Club, on Whittingham Lane, after Preston City Council gave the go-ahead for the creation of two new playing spaces.

Padel was first brought to the city with the installation of two specialist courts at the West View Leisure Centre in Ribbleton more than 12 months ago.

Often simplified as a mash-up of tennis and squash, padel is played with a perforated bat in an enclosed space which is less than half the size of a tennis court.

'Extremely sociable'

The two padel courts will be developed on largely disused land at the 350-member Broughton club, where they will sit alongside existing tennis courts.

Some car parking spaces that will be lost as a result of the plans will be relocated elsewhere within the site – with further parking capacity being added overall to accommodate the expected increase in users.

In its application for permission for the development, the club said: “Padel is one of the fastest growing sports in the UK and internationally, originating in Mexico and latterly in Spain and throughout Europe.

"The game is fun to play, very easy to learn and extremely sociable – and groups of mixed ages and abilities can play together."

No objections were raised to the installation of the new courts and a report by town hall planning officer Vanessa Cartwright-Bremner concluded: “The principle of the proposed development is acceptable and would not have any unacceptable adverse impacts upon residential or visual amenity, ecology, open countryside or area of separation, drainage or highways.”

The padel courts will be situated in the middle of the existing site, meaning the view of them from Whittingham Lane will be limited.