New sports facilities plans approved for Eastbourne Saffrons Sports Club

The approved application will see the building of three covered padel tennis courts at the Saffrons Sports Club on Compton Place Road.

The four courts would be the first in the Eastbourne and Lewes District area and would be the only dedicated padel tennis centre along the south coast of England.

Padel tennis is the fastest growing ball sport in Europe is a mix of squash and tennis and is played by all ages groups around the world.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Saffrons Sports Club said: “We’re delighted to announce that our application for padel tennis courts at The Saffrons has been approved. We expect to open our new facility early summer 2024.

"The Saffrons padel facility will have three covered/floodlit courts and an outdoor tournament court. It will be a first for the Eastbourne and Lewes District area, and at the present time along the south coast. But that will change as it continues to grow in popularity.

“It's great news for Eastbourne, both for residents and visitors to the town. And our thanks go to everyone who has given their time and expertise behind the scenes to get us this far.

“Keep an eye out for updates. Or to find out more / register your interest, get in touch at chairperson@the saffrons.org”

In the design and access statement, Collins Planning Services Limited wrote: “It is proposed that the Centre will always be manned and in total will employ five members of staff including a manager, two LTA qualified padel coaches and two part-time front of house receptionists.

"The facility will have state of the art technology which will be used to provide on-line court booking, controlled LED lighting, court and membership payments and CCTV monitoring."

The application had been met with support from many members of the local community who are backing the plans.

Cath Cannell from Bexhill said: “This would be a marvellous benefit to the community promoting health, fitness, social and mental wellbeing. This is a massively growing sport with a big future.”

David Brooks, from Ferring also agreed, saying: “Great development. It's about time Sussex got on board with this beneficial family activity and sport.”