First padel centre approved in Oldham

Oldham is due to get its first set of padel courts after plans to convert a former warehouse into a sportshall were approved.

Yasir Shabir of the Ahmed Bros Cash and Carry plans to turn the shop’s former storage unit at 36 Park Road in Alexandra into an indoor sporting facility and cafe. 

Plans submitted by Mr Shabir and Martin Spencer Architecture show the 1,300 square metre warehouse transformed into a multi-sport arena, with two padel courts, two table tennis areas, a badminton court and several cricket batting nets. There will also be a viewing area and a cafe with a seating area, as well as a reception and toilet/changing area. 

An existing car park will provide around 25 off-street parking spaces. When built, the site will employ three full-time and two part-time staff, providing employment opportunities for the local area, according to developers. 

Pictured above: Oldham Padel floor plans, 36 Park Road.

The application received no objections and was approved by a town planner. The centre has permission to open between 9am and midnight, as the warehouse is situated in a commercial area with no nearby residential homes that might be disturbed by noise, according to town planners. 

In a report, planning officer Matthew Taylor wrote: Having regard to the scale and nature of the proposed development, the location of the site and the general pattern of development in the area, it is considered that the development would not lead to any significant adverse impact on the character of the area neither would it lead to unacceptable adverse impact on the amenity of the occupiers of neighbouring properties.

The proposal provides an employment generating use, thereby boosting the local economy. The proposal would therefore be in accordance with relevant provisions of the Local Plan Policies.” 

The developers will have three years to implement the plans before the planning permission runs out. 

The centre would become the first to offer padel in Oldham and the surrounding area, after the sport gained popularity in Manchester, Stockport, and Trafford.