Plan to build padel courts at Pontefract squash club approved

Wakefield Council has approved proposals for the construction of two covered courts on part of a car park next to Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club, on Stuart Road.

Documents previously submitted to the local authority said the new facilities would allow the club to “diversify its offering and to continue offering a high quality sports club.”

The sport, which combines tennis and squash and is played on a court one-third the size of a normal tennis court, has grown in popularity in recent years.

An assessment accompanying the application said any noise impact from the new courts was “considered to be negligible.”

A heritage impact assessment was also submitted as the site lies close to a number of historic buildings, including the town’s former Mortuary Chapel, in nearby Pontefract Cemetery.

The document said: “We are confident that there would be no harm to the historic environment through this proposal and that there would be some minor enhancement of the area due to the introduction of these structures and their public benefits around the development of the squash club and the benefits around health and wellbeing.”

The council’s conservation officer said the scheme would have a “neutral impact” on nearby historical structures.

Approving the application, a report said: “The proposed scheme would involve the creation of new, potentially minimal, employment opportunities as a result of expansion of the existing racquet sports offerings at the sports and leisure facility.

“Having regard to this and the location of the development within Pontefract adjacent to the town centre, it is considered that the proposed would be acceptable in this regard.”