Farm near Sunderland plans six-court indoor padel center

A family farm near Sunderland has filed plans for a six-court indoor padel centre at Offerton Grange Farm, pairing the sport with a café, mezzanine floor, seating area and parking as it tries to build a new income stream beyond agriculture. The proposal would convert land now used for storing machinery into a mixed leisure site beside the A19 and the Hastings Hill roundabout.

The application, reference 26/01373/FUL, was listed as current on 3 July 2026 and sits under Sunderland City Council’s online planning system, where applications can be viewed and commented on. The business needs to look beyond farming for diversification opportunities.

The Lawn Tennis Association put participation in Great Britain at more than 400,000 in 2024, more than trebled from the 2019 figure, and the national court count rose from 68 in 2019 to 1,000 by July 2025. For landowners under pressure from thin margins in farming, the sport can work on the edge of towns as well as in retail parks.

The design would be inspired by an agricultural grain store, a nod to the farm setting even as the site shifts from operational storage to public-facing leisure. Year-round indoor courts would help ease pressure on existing venues, widen access and support more inclusive pricing in a region where indoor capacity remains limited.

True Padel Sunderland had seven courts at Wessington Retail Park in January 2026 and was expanding into one of the country’s largest indoor padel centres. Brighton and Hove City Council announced in June 2025 that four indoor courts would be installed at Withdean Sports Complex. The Norfolk Padel project at MJ Goodley Farms was completed in December 2024, and North Norfolk District Council called it a new income stream through rural diversification.