New padel courts to open on Wandsworth shopping centre car park rooftop

New padel tennis courts will be built on the rooftop of an 'underused' multi-storey car park at a South London shopping centre after the plans were approved yesterday (Wednesday, April 24). Padel is a racquet sport usually played in doubles on an enclosed court, which is roughly one-third of the size of a tennis court.

The new padel tennis centre will be built on the rooftop of the multi-storey car park at Southside Shopping Centre on Neville Gill Close in Wandsworth. It will be run by Padel Social Club and have six enclosed padel tennis courts with seating for spectators, changing and treatment rooms, toilets, showers, a reception, gym and shop.

Wandsworth Council's planning committee unanimously approved the scheme, from Southside Limited Partnership, on April 24 after agreeing it will improve facilities in the area. Labour councillor Paul White said turning 'unused' car parking into a sports facility would be a 'better use'.

Labour councillor Tony Belton added: "Personally, I’m in favour of more sporting facilities. I think it looks and feels like a building… that can be put up fairly quickly."

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The centre will also have a public office for co-working, along with a bar and dining areas with indoor and outdoor seating. A total of 123 car parking spaces will be lost as a result of the development, but a report submitted with the application said the car park is underused and the site is well-served by public transport.

The report said: "The proposals seek to redevelop an underutilised car parking facility and provide a padel tennis centre that would enhance the borough’s leisure and recreation offer. Considering the site's highly accessible location, the impact resulting from the proposed loss of car parking spaces would be negligible and the proposals as a whole would make better use of this strategic town centre location."

Residents threw their support behind the plans in letters to the council. One resident said: "Wandsworth is crying out for this, it will be such a great addition to the area and the community. Padel is such a great sport but there's very little opportunity to play due to a lack of courts."

Another supporter commented: "Finally a good use of space for a current eye sore in Wandsworth. The current area is used for various anti-social behaviour. This will bring something exciting to the area."

A third added: "This would be a hugely beneficial addition to the community, for all ages. Both from a social and health conscious perspective."

The centre will be open all year round, except on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, typically from 6am to 11pm. It will have up to 10 full-time employees and another 10 part-time employees.

Have a story you want to share? Email charlotte.lillywhite@reachplc.com.

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