Lower Drayton Farm plans two padel courts inside its grain store

Lower Drayton Farm near Penkridge wants to convert a grain store into an indoor padel facility with two courts.

The submitted prior approval statement describes a 750-square-metre conversion within an existing steel-framed agricultural building. Each court would measure 10 metres by 20 metres, with changing facilities and a viewing area also included in the proposal.

Together, the playing surfaces would occupy 400 square metres. That figure is calculated from the two court dimensions in the statement; it is not the size of the whole facility.

The plan does not extend the building's footprint. The statement describes a new entrance arrangement with windows and an additional fire exit, while customers would use the existing access from Lower Drayton Lane and the Play Barn's parking.

The applicant anticipates sharing staff with the Play Barn. Its parking assessment allows for eight players arriving separately for doubles across both courts. That is an assumption used in the statement, not a measured level of demand.

The submission seeks consideration under the Class R agricultural-building conversion route. It is a prior approval application, rather than a conventional full planning application. The applicant's argument that the scheme qualifies should not be treated as the council's determination.

The register was awaiting a decision when checked on 14 September 2026. Read the Lower Drayton Farm proposal on PlanIndex, reference 26/00740/AGRFLX. The accompanying chart separates the court playing surfaces from the total conversion area.