Halifax club's plans to serve up courts for fast growing racket sport, Padel, ruled out by Calderdale Council

Queens Sports Club, Moorlands View, Halifax, sought permission from Calderdale Council to replace two outdoor tennis courts with three Padel courts which would have rain canopies and en entrance lobby to the club’s existing indoor court building.

Padel, invented in Mexico in the late 1960s and a fast-growing sport very popular in Spain, is described as a mix between tennis and squash.

Seventeen objections – and one neutral comment – had been received by the council over the proposals, with concerns including loss of visual amenity, light pollution, potential increase in traffic and concerns relating to the Savile Park conservation area.

Council conservation officers concluded the proposals would harm the setting of the conservation area and the application had no heritage statement accompanying it to set out how this might be justified.

Other council officers also said no noise assessment had been submitted with the report to address concerns and as such they advised refusal.

In terms of the planning balance, officers, in refusing the application, concluded: “The proposal will bring benefits to the club with another revenue stream and public health benefits, however when balanced against the noise, light and visual impact of the courts the harm that this will bring is not outweighed by these benefits.”

The proposal would have seen the Padel covered courts developed on the footprint of two existing illuminated outdoor hard courts at the club.