Plans have been revealed to create four padel tennis courts in Paisley.

Powerleague Fives Ltd have applied for permission to transform two of their existing five-a-side pitches at their centre in Blackhall Street into the courts.

Padel is an innovative form of tennis played on an enclosed court which is about a third of the size of a tennis court.

A statement supporting the application submitted on behalf of the applicant said: “Powerleague are bringing forward a £7m, UK wide, programme of planned investment in padel tennis, which is the one of the world's fastest growing sports.

“There are currently 550 courts in the UK with a further 500 in construction or in the planning process.

“Over 90,000 people play padel in the UK and this number is set to grow but will be dependent on the facility infrastructure being in place to enable participation.

“At present, there are no padel tennis courts in the Renfrewshire Council area.”

In a letter of support for the application, Kirsty Humphries, the head of facilities at Tennis Scotland, the national governing body for padel tennis, said the proposal is part of Powerleague’s ambition to develop three new community padel sites north of the border.

Kirsty said the facilities would run on a pay and play basis and would be open to all members of the community with equipment hire to support participation.

“With the sport the fastest growing in Europe, this number is set to grow but will be dependent on the facility infrastructure being in place to enable participation,” added Kirsty in her letter of support.

“Currently Scotland has 41 padel tennis venues, and doubling annually as demand exceeds supply of courts available and opportunity to play."

The Powerleague football facility has been operational at this location since the 1990s.

It currently comprises eight synthetic surface football pitches, with two seven-a-side pitches and six, five-a-side pitches.

These pitches are all located on the northern side of Blackhall Road and include floodlighting, fencing and pitch enclosure boards.

The existing centre also benefits from a pavilion building and associated car park which provides parking for 126 vehicles.

The pavilion building includes reception space, changing facilities and a café/bar area.

The application, which was received and validated by the council this month, was submitted by Glasgow-based North Planning and Development ltd on behalf of Powerleague Fives Ltd.

The application is currently awaiting decision by planners and also seeks permission for associated fencing, a canopy, lighting and all associated works.

Much like the existing football pitches, the proposed padel courts would have a synthetic carpet surface and they would be enclosed by clear glazed panels with mesh fencing and floodlights inside.

Powerleague has previously added padel courts into its facilities in Birmingham and Shoreditch, which they said have brought in a total of 3,700 padel players between July and October 2024.

They added that there has been "a significant crossover between the sports of football and padel, with particularly older players relishing the chance to play a lower impact sport."