Padel tennis enthusiasts in north Bedfordshire are awaiting a decision next week on whether revised plans for two indoor courts in a rural barn can be sent to a planning committee.
Applicant Bromborough Estate is seeking part retrospective planning permission for a change of use to accommodate the facility at Greys Farm on Wymington Road in Podington.
The scheme submitted to Bedford Borough Council covers an area of 8,300 sqm, including two courts within an agricultural barn and 30 parking spaces.
The local authority previously refused a request for an indoor sport, recreation, or fitness use class at the site.
However, Cllr Alison Foster, the Conservative councillor for Harrold, has called in the application in the hope that the council’s planning committee will have the final say if planning officers again recommend refusal.
A decision on whether to refer the application to the planning committee is due next Tuesday (21 July).
Local backing
Local backing for the project remains strong, with the majority of the 170 comments submitted on the plans expressing support for the development.
Podington, Hinwick, and Farndish Parish Council are among those strongly supporting the project, stating that the development “provides a clear benefit to the village and the wider local area”.
The parish council criticised the borough council’s previous assessment of the site, arguing that “the reuse of an agricultural barn for localised sport and recreation is a textbook example of sustainable agricultural diversification.”
It noted that 136 formal letters of support have been submitted, describing this overwhelming volume as “clear, quantifiable evidence of local backing” for a facility the community wants and needs.
The parish council added that planners must give sufficient weight to the “significant physical and mental wellbeing benefits” the courts offer to the rural community.
Cllr Foster argued that national planning policies explicitly enable the “sustainable growth and expansion of all types of business in rural areas” through building conversions.
She noted that the proposal involves reusing an existing premises and “retains the appearance of an agricultural structure” rather than creating an outwardly urban development.
There are currently 1,206 registered Padel players in Podington, but few padel courts exist within a 25-mile radius; there are two in Thurleigh, or there are alternatives in urban areas.
“Rural north Bedfordshire is poorly served by public transport,” said Cllr Foster, adding that the planning balance should recognise that “the car is often the only practical means of access for rural residents”.
Original reporting by Euan Duncan
Local Democracy Reporter
