Part of a York car park could soon be built over by five sports pitches under plans just revealed.
A proposal has gone into City of York Council to create five padel courts on the car park next to the Vue cinema at Clifton Moor.
Each court would have four lighting poles, one in each corner.
The plans also include a number of timber-clad shipping containers which would house facilities including toilets, a reception area, shop and café.
Padel is a form of tennis played on an enclosed court. We Are Padel, which has submitted the plans, says in a design statement: “Padel sport is an extremely fast growing market in Europe with We Are Padel being one of the largest padel providers.
“Following great success in the Netherlands (initially 12 clubs), We Are Padel now operate over 130 clubs. Padel is now starting to grow within the UK with sites in London, Bristol, Bournemouth and Derby already proving to be very successful.
“The sites acquired are often derelict, brownfield sites that would otherwise remain vacant and abandoned, the new facilities therefore ensuring that sites are protected for the foreseeable future.
“We Are Padel are very much community focused. The entry level is very low and all are welcome to participate. Children can play for free and facilities provide job opportunities and career progression available across the board.”
As envisaged, the padel courts would be inside a metal framed enclosure which has glass panels to the lower areas and metal fencing above. The total height of each external court enclosure will be 4m to each end and 3m to the sides.
In total, the development would cover just under 800 sq ft.
The developers say: “The site within the proposal is a small area of a much larger car park.
“Some spaces will be lost to accommodate the development, however in terms of the overall car park, this should be seen as fairly low in terms of scale.”
If the plans submitted are accurate, 90 parking spaces would be lost.
This proposal follows another planning application for both padel courts and petanque rinks to be built at the Poppleton Community Centre.
You can read and comment on the Clifton Moor plans on the City of York Council planning portal here.