17-02-2025
Popular five-a-side club could be set for new padel tennis court as plans lodged
A popular Stockton five-a-side club could be set to welcome a new padel tennis court.
Soccer Sensations Teesside has lodged plans to build a new 10m x 20m court at its site on Westland Way, just off the A135.
The club - which has been operating since 1996 and currently boasts 10 football pitches - wants to transform an area of scrubland to offer the growing racket sport at its site.
Padel Tennis has become one of the most talked about new sports over the last few years, differing from normal tennis due to the court having walls.
Solid, stringless bats are used to play the game, which sees the balls played off them akin to a game of squash.
It was also included as an official sport at the 2023 European Games.
Soccer Sensations said the new court would be surfaced in free-draining artificial turf and housed in a mesh panel and glass-walled court, with a curved roof.
The building would not be visible from the A66 and would be tucked behind soft landscaping, meaning it would 'blend in with its surroundings'.
Planning documents describe how the proposal would add an 'additional revenue stream and will help to support a long-established local company'.
No additional parking would be needed for the development, as the existing car park is 'fit for purpose' and provides 'more than adequate space'.
Soccer Sensations has been a popular haunt for five-a-side, seven-a-side, and birthday parties for decades, first opening on November 11, 1996.
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It originally started as a facility made up of six five-a-side pitches, but as popularity grew, additional pitches were added to make the current lineup of 10.
It currently caters for kids' parties as well as adult and junior football leagues and boasts a licensed bar area and function room on the second floor of its club house.
Consultation is now underway on the plans, and will end on March 5, before Stockton Council makes a decision.
