Nottingham warehouse could be turned into padel tennis courts as sport grows in popularity

A former warehouse in Nottingham could soon be turned into a sports facility as padel tennis continues to rise in popularity across the UK. The building, located at 15 Little Tennis Street, Sneinton, could be turned into the first indoor padel tennis facility in Nottingham, making it suitable for play all year round.

The proposals, submitted to Nottingham City Council, detail the reconfiguration of the internal floorspace to provide 10 padel tennis courts, along with a changing room, lounge area and other key facilities. The exterior of the currently vacant building would be repainted, while new signage will also be installed, subject to a separate planning application.

According to the plans, padel tennis is an innovative racquet sport which is played on an enclosed court that is approximately one third the size of a tennis court. The court has walls and the balls can be played off them in a similar way to the game of squash.

The site comprises a warehouse with ancillary offices which have been on the market since January but have received no interest for industrial use. This is due to access difficulties for large vehicles due to the narrow accessway and limited manoeuvring space to the rear of the site where the loading bays are located.

The planning documents, submitted by Advantage Padel Ltd, read: "The proposed development is intended to cater for one of the fastest growing sports in the UK in a modern facility which will complement and enhance the existing offer of sporting facilities in this part of Nottingham. Padel tennis facilities cater for groups of mixed ages and abilities in playing together.

"There are no known indoor padel facilities in Nottingham and, therefore, the proposed development would provide a significant contribution to the city by providing a new sporting facility that can be utilised at all times of year."

The building comprises 2,893sqm floorspace, with the site comprising approximately 4,200sqm in total. Out of the 10 indoor courts, six of them will be double, while four will be single.

The development will retain the 20 on-site car parking spaces currently available along the site frontage. Four cycle spaces have also been proposed immediately outside the building.

The proposed operating hours are from 6.00am to 11.00pm, with court sessions available in 60 minute or 90 minute slots. Four staff members will be required on-site to manage operations.

The proposals come after outdoor padel courts opened at Nottingham's Padel Centre situated next to Meadow Lane. The four-court, all-weather facility was opened in November 2022 by Magpies owners Alexander and Christoffer Reedtz and was met with a very encouraging response as over 400 people took advantage of the chance to play for free.