Plans approved for city's 'first padel centre'

Plans to create a new padel and pickleball centre, which developers said would be the first in Leicester, have been approved.

The new facility will be housed in three warehouse units in Barkby Road and will include three double and one single padel court, alongside a double pickleball court.

Planning documents submitted to Leicester City Council state the site would "broaden the range of sports facilities that are available in Leicester".

The applicant, ZAS-PPL-110, said padel was "one of the fastest-growing sports in Britain".

However, it said there were currently no publicly accessible indoor or outdoor padel facilities in Leicester.

"As such, the scheme has the potential to increase participation in sport across the city and will make a positive contribution towards supporting residents' health and wellbeing," the applicant added.

The site will comprise 7,387 sq m (79,513 sq ft) of self-contained warehouse space and will feature changing rooms, a cafe and chill-out zones, as well as offices.

Correction 13 March 2026: A previous version of this article reported that the plans had been submitted. It has now been updated to make it clear they have been approved.

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