Plans to build two new padel tennis courts at a Harrogate sports centre have been withdrawn.

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre, off Hookstone Wood Road, submitted plans to build the covered courts to North Yorkshire Council last December.

The facility would have been built on land next to the car park, alongside Hookstone Nature Reserve.

Each court was set to be 10m x 20m with netting and an 11.1-metre-tall canopy to cover the whole structure was proposed.

The application also sought approval to expand current parking provision by using a grassed area, to the west of the existing car park, as event parking for up to 80 days of the year. 

Last week the plans were recommended for approval in a report by a council officer, as reported by the Stray Ferret.

Councillors on the Harrogate and Knaresborough planning committee were due to either accept or refuse this recommendation tomorrow (August 29).

However, a decision notice uploaded to the council’s planning portal yesterday said the application had been withdrawn.

The Stray Ferret contacted Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre to ask why the plans had been revoked just two days before they looked set to be approved.

We did not receive a response to the query at the time of publication. However, a spokesperson told the Stray Ferret the sports centre will re-apply for the project. 

Mixed response

A report due before councillors at tomorrow’s meeting said the application received 131 letters of representation.

A total of 72 supported the proposal, while 58 objected to it. Just one neither supported or objected to the plans.

Some of the supporting reasons, which were mentioned in the report, included the benefits padel tennis can have on those suffering "injuries or illness rehabilitation".

The sport improves mental and physical wellbeing; offers the opportunity to learn a new activity; the courts would improve what is currently “an eyesore”, and it welcomes and broadens the community, the report added. 

People also felt the scheme was a “must for the town” and would encourage children to play sport, as well as being “almost net zero”.

But environmental and traffic concerns were among the main reasons for the objections.

Some people felt the court’s proximity to Hookstone Woods could be “disruptive to an important wildlife corridor” and that the current facilities are "adequate".

Objections also included concerns over increased traffic on Hookstone Wood Road, the impact of intrusive lighting on the environment, the potential reduction in natural drainage due to the grassland being resurfaced, and fears an “ugly tin shed industrial-type unit would not be in keeping with the area”.

Despite the concerns, the report concluded:

Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre already offers two outdoor padel courts, as well as four squash courts and a gym.