Fordingbridge helps East Grinstead Padel Club create stunning AONB facilities

Planning regulations can be stringent especially in green belt areas, but our expert team is helping clubs across the UK to meet tough requirements with beautifully, carefully thought through solutions…

With padel soaring in popularity, it’s not just urban areas that are seeing a demand for the sport. Increasingly we’re seeing demand for facilities in beautiful parks and countryside areas. Meeting this  demand comes with significant challenges that we’re helping clubs across the UK to overcome.

East Grinstead Padel Club is part of East Grinstead Sports Club, a multi-sport, fitness and social facility that is home to over 20 sports clubs and organisations. The new padel facility, featuring four top-of-the-range courts, was to sit at the most elevated area of the site, overlooking the High Weald – a stunning wooded area designated an AONB.

To satisfy planning authorities our expert team of designers worked closely with East Grinstead Padel Club’s team to choose deep green powder coating for the triple span canopy that covered three of the club’s new courts and a single span canopy that covered a fourth court. This enabled the structures to blend seamlessly into their beautiful natural surroundings. The canopies were also given an elegant barrel-vaulted design to mimic the undulating scenery beyond.

The four courts were positioned in a way that enabled padel players and visitors to the sports club a clear ‘through view’ to the vista beyond, with deep green mesh inserts enabling courts and players to be protected without compromising the beauty of the site. And we thought sustainability first with our carefully considered design:

• Wherever possible, materials used in the canopy structures are recyclable at the end of their life
• The padel court canopy structures feature discreet guttering and collection for rain-water preservation
• We’ve covered the canopies with our unique Opal 60 roofing that allows 60% light penetration to increase energy efficiency and minimise the need for artificial lighting – again to preserve the natural feel of the site

Today the courts are a hive of activity, constantly booked out since their launch, and enabling many hundreds more people to enjoy the beauty of the High Weald throughout the year.

If you’re considering building a padel facility on a site that presents unique challenges, why not contact our expert padel team today? We’d love to help you create high quality all-weather facilities that answer the dual needs of protecting valued spaces while delivering first rate playing environments…

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