Ireland’s fastest growing sport to get new Tipperary facility as padel takes off
A new sports facility for one of Ireland’s fastest-growing sports has been approved for Tipperary.
Fort Aengus Club in Cashel applied to Tipperary County Council for planning permission to develop several padel courts at their facility.
Three covered padel tennis courts will replace the existing tennis courts, with a central viewing area, as well as extending and refurbishing the existing childcare facility/multi-purpose room/table tennis room area to incorporate an additional space.
An additional multi-purpose room/table tennis room will be added at ground floor level, with changing rooms and multi-purpose club room/tea room at first floor level also form part of the plans.
The club have also been given permission to add solar panels, add a new children’s area and adjust the layout of car parking facilities.
However, the club had to seek retention permission from Tipperary County Council in respect of an existing childcare facility on the site, which was noted by council planners to be operating without planning permission.
"I note that the application is also seeking the refurbishment of the existing as described ‘childcare/ crèche’ facility. I note that this use does not have the benefit of planning permission,” the council planner said in their report.
"Based on the above noting, it is likely that the childcare/crèche/Montessori has been operating since 2014 and unauthorised for the preceding years,” they added.
Retention permission is a process to legalise a structure that was built without initial planning permission or is being used for something without the correct planning permission.
Planning permission for the full development, including the crèche and childcare facility was granted subject to 12 conditions.
Among the conditions are that the childcare facility only operate between the hours of 9am and 3.30pm, that the padel facilities close by 10pm at the latest, and that any construction and demolition work carried out on the site keeps noise and dust to a minimum.
Padel is a racket sport, similar to tennis, but is usually played in doubles on a smaller court. The scoring system is similar to tennis, but the rules are different, with elements of squash being incorporated into the game of padel.
The sport is thought to have originated in Mexico in the 1960s, and remains popular in south America. The sport will become an Olympic sport for the 2032 games.