Padel courts plan unveiled for Whittle-le-woods leisure club

Padel facilities are to replace tennis courts at the David Lloyd Leisure Club in Whittle-le-woods.

The rapid growth of the sport has seen more and more facilities open across the country and David Lloyd, which says it is “at the forefront of this tennis revolution in the UK”, is in the process of incorporating into padel facilities at more than 50 of its existing clubs and all new ones. 

Under plans submitted to Chorley Borough Council, it wants to replace two of its tennis courts with three padel ones. One of those will be covered by a canopy to allow all-weather use, while a social area and floodlights are also included.

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The application states: “Designed to stay true to the sport’s origins, these padel courts will feature a pillars type structure, anti-injury mesh infill panels and 10mm approved glass resulting in attractive and minimalist aesthetics. The playing surface will be the latest technology in artificial grass, ensuring that these facilities will be attractive to everyone from total beginners to seasoned players.

“There will be 4no. 240W LED projectors to evenly light the space, these offer a large reduction in potential energy use when compared to traditional halide lamps, with longer life and greater ecoefficiency.

“The Padel Courts lighting as noted above, compared to Tennis lighting, has significantly lower lighting columns (circa 6m) due to the smaller playing surface, along with unidirectional beams allowing the courts to be lit without significant light spill.”

The requested operating times are 6am-11pm on weekdays and 7am-9pm on weekends. 

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