Five padel courts set to open in West London

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

A plan to build five temporary padel courts replete with a bar and wellness centre are among the new planning applications to have been submitted in Hammersmith and Fulham.

Padel Social UK has applied to install five temporary padel courts at the former Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2 in West London.

Padel is a fast-paced racket sport that is often described as a mix between tennis and squash. A padel court has walls, so shots can be played off them.

The courts are tipped to run from October 2023 to December 2025 and cost up to £2million to build, according to Hammersmith and Fulham council report.

The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC), which applied on behalf of Padel Social UK, said the site will also include six single and two-storey portacabins to house food stalls, a wellness room, a bar, as well as an office and reception.

It is also seeking to install non-illuminated signs on the portacabins and will be decked out with futuristic floodlighting. Documents show the site can be accessed by a footpath which leads to the BBC Earth Experience.

According to ECDC documents, the site sits within the wider Earl’s Court redevelopment site.

Padel Social Club, as it is to be called, has also offered free padel bookings to the local community.

Residents will be able to get three one-hour court sessions and free equipment hire seven days a week at off-peak times.

They can also get access to five discounted sessions, two monthly free coaching sessions and three discounted sessions during off-peak.

Pictured top: Team GB’s 2004 Olympic gold-winning, 4x100m relay team Mark Lewis-Francis, Marlon Devonish, Darren Campbell, and Jason Gardener supporting sports retailer Decathlon’s campaign to introduce more people to the sport of Padel (Picture: PA)