Plans lodged to build padel courts at squash club

Proposals include building two covered courts on part of a car park next to Pontefract Squash and Leisure Club, on Stuart Road.

A statement submitted to Wakefield Council 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 court 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 denefits around the development of the squash club and the benefits around health and wellbeing.”

Planning officers have yet to determine the application.