Lifford’s Shay Given applies for Kilkenny padel centre after Kildare rejection
Kildare County Council rejected Given's proposals due to land zoned for equine-related development
A planning application submitted by former Irish goalkeeper Shay Given and his business partner, Declan Fagan, for a €4 million padel centre has been refused by Kildare County Council.
Lifford’s Given, and Mr Fagan, had lodged for planning permission for Arena Padel, which would have been a 45,000 sq. ft indoor padel facility in Goffs, Kildare.
The area had been planned to feature nine championship-standard courts, a ‘bio-circuit’ gym in partnership with Technogym, and recovery rooms, in an investment that could have created 30 jobs.
Planning for the padel centre in Goffs was refused due to a decision to zone the land for equine-related development, and that the proposed Padel Centre was “not an equine-based development and would set an undesirable precedent for similar non-equine related uses on the landholding.”
Kildare County Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for Arena Padel in Goffs comes a week after Given and Mr Fagan submitted a planning application to Kilkenny County Council for an Arena Padel in Gowran Park.
Plans in Kilkenny are to open a state-of-the-art, 22,000 sq. ft indoor padel facility to build five padel courts on site.
It is understood that the planning application in Kilkenny includes a sauna, ice bath, changing rooms, and an indoor golf simulator.
Padel is a racket sport played in an enclosed court, with the same scoring system as tennis, but with different rules, strokes and equipment. The sport originated in Mexico, but has long been popular in countries like Spain and Brazil.
On social media, Given had stated how “excited” he was for the project in Kildare and his Arena Padel project in general.
He stated: “It’s the fastest growing sport in the world, and it’s easy to see why. Padel can be played together by all ages and skill levels.
“We’ve founded Arena Padel to bring padel tennis to the masses by investing in purpose-built modern sports arenas.”