A FORMER Kinmel Bay industrial unit could be transformed into a padel tennis centre under plans going before Conwy County Council’s planning committee this week.
Councillors meeting at the authority’s Coed Pella HQ on Wednesday (10 December) will debate a change of use of a warehouse at Unit 1, Branwen, Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate.
Applicant Zak Hughes wants to convert the building’s use from industrial to a leisure facility, bringing the fast-growing sport of padel tennis to the county, with officers recommending the scheme be approved subject to conditions.
Padel tennis is a racquet sport blending tennis, squash, and badminton but played on a smaller court.
The plans include four padel courts installed inside part of the existing warehouse building.
Two courts would measure 10 metres by 20 metres, with two narrower at six metres by 20 metres.
The plans also include a gym, cardio room, two saunas, and changing facilities, while a mezzanine floor would house a coffee shop and a viewing area overlooking the courts.
Externally, the building’s roller-shutter door would be replaced with a glazed entrance and windows added serving the higher floor.
The centre would open between 6am and 10pm, seven days a week, creating four full-time and two part-time jobs.
If granted permission, the centre will have 11parking spaces, including two for disabled users, alongside “cycle parking” and a refuse area, with access from St Asaph Avenue.
The applicant said the previous occupier, Titan Baths, ceased trading.
According to the applicant, the building was marketed privately for eight to nine months, with shorter lease terms and rent-free incentives offered, but no suitable industrial tenant was secured.
A review of 40 alternative sites within a five-mile radius concluded that there were “no suitable premises on the market for purchase or lease”.
The applicant said the facility would “improve health, education, and quality of life for employees and local residents” and “reduce travel demand by localising services that would otherwise require commuting”.
The application added: “The only other North Wales site for the sport is located on the outskirts of Wrexham.”
A statement also said the centre would also “stimulate economic resilience by attracting a broader range of tenants and increasing footfall”, which would benefit surrounding businesses.
