Venue approved for fast-growing sport

A new centre for the sport of padel has been approved, against the advice of planning officers.

The venue will be created in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.

Padel, a cross between tennis and squash, has been described as the world's fastest-growing sport.

Officers said the centre would be "inappropriate development in the green belt", but the county council's planning committee gave it the go-ahead.

It is thought that about 35 million people worldwide play padel, which combines the rules and net play of tennis with the enclosed glass walls of squash.

It is seen as a comparatively easy sport to pick up, and a sociable activity as it is often played as doubles.

The proposal for a racquets centre in Marlow has come from the team behind Padel Maidenhead, which was the first venue in the UK to provide fully-accessible padel, including wheelchair play.

The plans include the demolition of a burnt-out house and the creation of eight covered padel courts and two uncovered courts.

There would also be a clubhouse with an open roof terrace.

Kristen Paskins, Great Britain's number one wheelchair padel player, told Wednesday's planning meeting: "The features proposed in this development are exactly what is needed to create a facility that is genuinely accessible and inclusive."

She added that the proposed canopies above the courts would make them safer for wheelchairs during bad weather.

Officers advised that permission should be refused as the project would be "inappropriate development in the green belt" that would "detract from the established open and rural location".

The applicants said there were special circumstances to justify building in the green belt, including the sport's popularity and the lack of alternative sites.

The planning committee agreed and voted unanimously to approve the project.

Green belt land has traditionally been protected to restrict urban sprawl and maintain open spaces.

However, the Labour government has encouraged the use of lower-quality green belt, known as "grey belt" land, for housing.

This could make it less likely that green belt designation alone will protect land from development.

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