Huge new padel centre set to open near Crystal Peaks in former units occupied by High Street favourites
New use for former shops at popular retail centre
Two long-closed Sheffield retailers look set to be replaced by a facility to play one of Sheffield’s fastest growing sports.
Albany Courtyard Investments have been given the green light to convert the building whcih the two shops once shared, after Sheffield Council told them that they did not need any special planning permission for the work on the former Mothercare and Argos stores on the Drakehouse Retail Park, near Beighton.
The company wants to re-jig the inside of the building to allow it to convert it into padel courts, so it can be used as a padel centre.
Sheffield Council has now told the company that it can legally take down a partition wall and create the padel courts, and are being issued with a certificate to confirm it.
It stated in a written a report on the plans: “The proposed works are limited to internal alterations only, with no external changes or increase in floorspace, and therefore also do not constitute development. It is recommended that the Certificate be granted.”
Albany Courtyard Investments Limited ‘s planning application stated in their application that last time the buildings were used, they were occupied by retailers Mothercare and Argos.
They added: “The units are currently vacant, but the applicant has been marketing the site for prospective new occupants during the vacancy period.”
They did not think they needed to change the planning permission for the site.
Sheffield has seen a rush of recent planning applications for padel venues, as the popularity of the sport surges.
Padel is a racket sport, played with a more solid racket than tennis.
The game uses the same scoring conventions a tennis but is played on courts that are slightly smaller, as are the balls that are used.
The courts are enclosed and, like in squash, players can bounce the ball off the walls.
According to the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) there were around 400,000 people that played padel in the UK last year, which is a huge increase on the estimated figures of 15,000 just six years earlier in 2019.