Plan for new facility in Turners Hill for ‘one of the fastest growing sports in the UK’
A company is proposing the creation of a new padel tennis facility in Turners Hill.
Padel Centric Ltd has applied to Mid Sussex District Council to construct the facility (use Class E(d)) with ancillary offices, changing facilities and a studio, as well as a member shop and café (all within use Class E), on land to the south of Crabbet Park Equestrian Centre on Turners Hill Road.
The application is also for 25 new car parking spaces, four disability spaces and eight cycle spaces, as well as bin storage, associated access and works. The agent for the application is Union4 Planning Ltd.
People can view the documents at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications using reference DM/26/2115.
The design and access statement by Gavin Jones Architecture said: “There will be six padel courts for up to 24 persons.”
It said: “The site is surrounded by trees to the east and west and fields to the south, while there is built development to the north that includes a hotel, flats and sports facilities with a gym and swimming pool. The inclusion of padel courts will support the other uses adjacent to the site.”
It added that the site currently consists of grass and shrubs and is ‘occasionally used for grazing by livestock’.
The statement said: “We opted for courts that resemble a lightweight and translucent structure similar to Nottingham Padel Courts. The ancillary building was reduced to the essential sizes and areas to support the building’s use. The ancillary facilities equate to 533sqm GIA while the courts are 2,195sqm GIA.”
The statement also said the building has been designed to allow for wheelchair and ambulant access throughout. The courts will be wheelchair-accessible and the lower court will be reached via a central lift. It said the site will be accessed via an existing road that leads to Crabbet Park, the Holiday Inn hotel and Nuffield Gym.
The application form said the proposed opening hours are 7am to 10pm every day.
The planning statement by Union4 Planning described padel tennis as ‘an innovative racquet sport’, saying the site is intended to cater for ‘one of the fastest growing sports in the UK’. It said: “The proposed development will provide a modern facility that will introduce new people to the game, complementing and enhancing the existing offer of sporting facilities in and around the Crawley area.”
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