Manchester rejects Strangeways padel proposals
Plans to convert a vacant 35,000 sq ft warehouse off Sherbourne Street into an indoor sports facility featuring eight courts for the fast-growing game have been refused.
Manchester City Council has informed applicant Veloura Padel that it cannot proceed with its plans to create a padel and wellness club in Strangeways because the proposal would “undermine the established economic function of the area and conflict with the strategic objective of maintaining an adequate supply of employment land to meet future business needs”, according to a council report.
The local authority added that “insufficient evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the premises are no longer viable or suitable for continued employment use”.
Strangeways is identified in various planning frameworks as a strategic employment location and while there are plans in train for the area’s comprehensive overhaul, one of the key tenets of that plan is to preserve Strangeways as a hub for jobs.
Subsequently, the city council has concluded that the plans to use the warehouse as a padel facility are contrary to policies within the NPPF, the Unitary Development Plan for the City of Manchester, and Places for Everyone joint spatial plan for Greater Manchester.
Half a mile away on Dutton Street, similar plans for an indoor padel club within a former industrial unit were approved on a three-year basis. That site is now being brought forward for residential by the Arora family.
To learn more about Veloura’s plans, search for reference number 145539/FO/2026 on Manchester City Council’s planning portal.
It would be helpful if the supporting documentation for the project was actually written by professionals and not AI. The NIA for example is an absolute stinker!
By Anonymous
How did we get here, we at a point where a council has a say and decides to the use of vacant warehouse. Wouldn’t a vacant warehouse be more “undermine the established economic function of the area” (whatever that means) and what is the “established economic function of the area”, sale of counterfeit goods and tat, vapes and other clandestine activities? have the officers ever walked those streets, they aren’t exactly bussing with activity most shutters are down, there is probably a few exceptions where there is a small network of textile companies remaining but that a handful. I can’t seem to understand what the councils ambitions are for this area, is it more of subsidised austere inward looking BRT towers as with the brewery site or do they want ‘safeguard’ and preserve the infamous ‘counterfeit’ quarter or do have they dreamt up a happy marriage between the two, now that would make a perfect setting for dystopian movie, maybe call it ‘And on the seventh day….’
By Anonymous
Jesus how many padel courts does Manchester need?
By Mike
Even though there is a padel bubble, this part of town is genuinely scary – anything would be better than nothing.
By Idi
Taking valuable space away from vape wholesalers
By Anonymous
I wonder if this is more a case that the quality of the planning application was pants.
By Anonymous