Padel: Plans to convert London 2012 venue tennis courts shelved
He said a petition against the move had been signed by more than 2,000 people. The LVRPA decided to halt the padel court plans at a meeting of its executive committee on Monday. A spokesperson said: "Given the huge growth of padel and the health and wellbeing opportunities it brings to a wider community – all consistent with the authority's statutory remit – the committee has agreed to step back and carry out a more detailed assessment of options for padel and tennis as part of a wider review of future investment on the site."
They said that the assessment will "take a strategic look at facilities on the Eton Manor site, be underpinned by the need to have regional appeal and commercial viability and involve engagement with people who use the venue and other interested parties"."Tennis and padel will be fully considered as part of the review," the spokesperson added.The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the governing body for both padel in the UK, said that the sport now has 400,000 players. The body said there are about 900 courts across 300 venues, but with increasing popularity this does not meet demand. However, the LTA had opposed the LVPRA's plans to repurpose the tennis courts, arguing it had invested in the centre's "legacy" of the Olympics.
Reacting to Monday's decision: "Whilst campaigners are disappointed that this meeting did not completely take the repurposing of the indoor tennis hall 'off the table', they accept that this was more of a hope than an expectation."He said campaigners would continue to work to preserve "legacy for current and future generations of tennis players - hopefully to be joined by padel players".
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