Plans submitted for eight-court padel venue in York
Northminster Developments is looking to change the use of two existing buildings at Foss Islands from storage and distribution to indoor sport and recreation, creating a sportsl venue with changing facilities, a café, and associated car and cycle parking.
The site on James Street is around 800m west of York city centre, comprises a 29,500 sq ft industrial building and a smaller 3,600 sq ft unit.
The larger building was most recently used by First Bus as a vehicle storage compound and driver training facility, while part of the premises has stood vacant for several years. The smaller building was last occupied by an antiques and homewares retailer.
All eight indoor padel courts would be accommodated within the larger building, with changing rooms, reception facilities and an ancillary coffee point housed in the smaller unit.
The existing access from James Street would be retained, while the surrounding hardstanding would provide 38 car parking spaces alongside cycle parking.
No external building works are proposed, with the scheme centred on internal alterations to repurpose the existing buildings for leisure use.
If approved, the venue would operate between 6am and 11pm and create up to 18 jobs across management, reception, coaching, and cleaning roles.
The application is supported by O’Neill Associates and comes amid continued growth in the popularity of padel across the UK.
According to figures referenced in the planning documents, more than 400,000 adults and juniors played the sport at least once during 2024, while monthly participation has more than doubled over the past year.
York currently has seven padel courts, with Lawn Tennis Association analysis suggesting the city could support at least 16 courts to meet growing demand.
