Plans drawn up for padel tennis courts at sports village site

Proposals for four courts to be installed on a former crown green bowling green at the Dentons Green site, off Ruskin Drive, have been drawn up and sent to the council.

The bowling green has not been used in more than 20 years, plans state, and the site is “informally used by Ruskin Private Gym as an external warm-up area”.

The proposed site for the padel tennis courts, formerly a bowling green (Image: St Helens Council Planning Portal)

A design and access statement in the plans says: “One of the fastest growing, new sports, across the globe is Padel Tennis.

“Padel is a racket sport that is much like a cross between tennis and squash where the ball can bounce off the glass wall or metallic mesh that surrounds the court and a padel game is usually played outdoors.”

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This adds: “Ruskin’s management team have carried out extensive research into this activity and wish to bring four Padel courts to their existing sports facility in St Helens.

“Ruskin have identified an area of their site that once was used as a bowling green around 25 years ago.

“The area that has been identified, nowadays, is left mowed and is occasionally used as an informal sports warm-up area and Boot Camp area for the Private Gym.”

An aerial view of the proposed site for the padel tennis courts at Ruskin (Image: St Helens Council Planning Portal)

The proposed padel courts measure 10m wide and 20m long in line with international Padel Court dimensions.

Plans add the padel courts by nature are enclosed within walls and each court will be illuminated for early evening sessions.

A padel tennis court has a number of structural components, including the playing area, net and walls.

The former bowling pavilion will be demolished in the plans (Image: St Helens Council Planning Portal)

The plans conclude: “Ruskin believes that by offering an additional outdoors sports facility, being Padel Tennis, this will encourage more members and none members to visit the Club. 

“In addition to the Padel Courts, Ruskin’s propose to site a kiosk on the existing slab of the, soon to be demolished, former bowling pavilion of which is in disrepair.”

The planning application is on standard consultation to the pubic until Thursday, January 2, 2025.

A decision is expected on the proposals by January 23.

The Star recently reported after plans by Wigan-based Soul Padel company for a state-of-the-art padel facility at Queens Park Recreation Ground were approved, to be the first padel tennis courts in St Helens.

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