Belfast City Council has unanimously approved the conversion of a vacant warehouse in east Belfast into an indoor padel and pickleball facility, despite a prior approval for apartments on the site. The development by a Dublin-based company includes courts, a gym, and a cafe. Local objections focused on noise and traffic, but council officers recommended approval with conditions to mitigate impacts.
At a March meeting, the Belfast City Council Planning Committee unanimously approved the change of use for a vacant warehouse at 1 to 5 Redcar Street, between Castlereagh and Woodstock Roads, from a former garden supply site operated by Decco Ltd to an indoor sports facility. The applicant, House of Padel from Old Belgard Road in Dublin's Cookstown Industrial Estate, plans to include padel courts, pickleball courts, a cafe, changing rooms, and a gym, along with ancillary works.
The site, a large two-storey commercial building with adjacent parking, sits beside Euston Street Primary School. It had received approval in February 2023 for demolition and construction of 65 apartments, including 20 percent social housing. Despite this, the new proposal moved forward without objections from statutory consultees, though four letters from two local residents raised concerns about noise, increased traffic, insufficient parking, lighting, operating hours, and a perceived inclusion of a sports bar.
Council officers recommended approval, noting the site's high accessibility and its potential to enhance community health and wellbeing over the long term. Addressing noise worries, the report from Belfast City Council Environmental Health stated: “Having considered the assessment of the source noise and the potential for noise breakout, Belfast City Council Environmental Health are content that no adverse impact should arise from these activities.” To prevent issues from background music in the gym, a condition limits reverberant music noise to no more than 70 decibels. Operational hours are restricted to 0700 to 2300 to avoid nighttime disturbances, including from parking. The report clarified: “The additional comments in relation to a ‘sports bar’ appear to be erroneous as the proposal includes a gym, and cafe but not a public/private bar.”
Padel, a sport blending tennis and squash, is played in doubles on an enclosed glass and mesh court one-third the size of a tennis court, using perforated paddles, low-compression balls, underhand serves, and wall play for strategy. Pickleball mixes elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong on a small court with a net, employing solid paddles and a plastic ball with holes.