Portsmouth to get first Padel tennis courts as city plays catch-up with national boom
Pompey Health and Fitness Centre to get two padel courts
Portsmouth residents will soon be able to play padel within the city after the local council approved its first dedicated courts.
Portsmouth City Council approved the application, reference 25/01050/FUL, on 22 January 2026, allowing two public-use courts to be built at Pompey Health and Fitness Centre on Copnor Road, along with floodlighting, fencing and parking.
Padel is a racket sport that blends elements of tennis and squash, played in doubles on a smaller enclosed court where the walls are part of play.
It uses solid rackets and a tennis-style ball with the same scoring system, and is widely considered accessible to beginners due to its focus on strategy over power. The number of courts in the UK has grown from 68 in 2019 to more than 1,550 across 559 venues by the end of 2025.
Until now, the closest facilities to Portsmouth have been in Fareham, Hayling Island and Chichester.
The approved scheme, submitted on behalf of Steve Cripps of PMC Construction and designed by HGP Architects of Fareham, will see the two courts installed to the west of the existing fitness centre building.
The courts measure 27m wide and 10m long, with end fencing rising to approximately 4m and side fencing to 3m .
Approval came with a number of conditions. Floodlights must only operate between 9am and 10pm Monday to Saturday, and until 6pm on Sundays and bank holidays.
Before the lights can be installed, a detailed lighting scheme prepared by an engineer must first be submitted to and approved by the council.
Construction cannot begin until the developer has also submitted and had approved a Biodiversity Gain Plan demonstrating at least 10 per cent net gain.
It follows recent news that the council’s planning committee will determine plans for four Padel courts on Southsea Seafront next week.
The application, submitted on behalf of Court X, proposes four enclosed padel courts on a site that currently houses tennis, basketball and netball courts, east of The Rose Gardens in Southsea, next to the footpath connecting Eastney Esplanade with Eastern Parade.