Cromer, Roche building: Push for 12-court ‘pickleball arena’ in historic industrial complex

Plans have lobbed for a proposed $900,000 “pickleball arena” to help accommodate the popular racquet-based sporting craze on Sydney’s northern beaches.

There’s a $900,000 pickleball push on for the northern beaches.

Developers want to build what they describe as an “arena” for the popular racquet sport craze at the site of the historic former Roche Pharmaceuticals factory at Cromer.

Planning documents lodged with Northern Beaches Council reveal plans for 12 courts in an empty warehouse at the Inman Rd complex.

A proposed ancillary “wellness and recreation centre”, offering a variety of therapy and treatment services such as cold plunge pools, saunas and a hyperbaric chamber, is part of the plans.

The DA also includes a pickleball pro-shop and a cafe located on the mezzanine level in the warehouse that is part of what is now known as the Northern Beaches Business Park, opposite Cromer High School.

The Northern Beaches Pickleball Association is the largest pickleball club in Australia.

Developers, the Discover Sports Group, noted in the papers that the business park — built around the old heritage-listed Roche factory that manufactured medications such as Valium from the early 1960s to 2007 — already accommodates a learn to swim facility, indoor golf and a trampoline centre.

A floor layout of the proposed $920,000 "pickleball arena" and ancillary treatment and therapy centre on Inman Rd, Cromer.

The push for more local pickleball courts, as this masthead reported earlier this year, comes as about 100 players a month sign up to play the popular sport on the northern beaches.

Pittwater RSL at Mona Vale is building six courts on its roof top car park.

And this week the council announced that pickle ball courts are part of its new multi-purpose hard court complex that just opened at Winnererremy Bay Park, Mona Vale.

Described as a cross between tennis, ping-pong and badminton, pickleball — played with a solid paddle and a plastic aerated whiffle ball — is being played across about a dozen venues locally. It originated in the United States in 1965 and is currently that country’s fastest-growing participation sport.

The interior of the warehouse to accommodate a proposed $920,000 "pickleball arena" and ancillary treatment and therapy centre on Inman Rd, Cromer.

The Roche manufacturing site at Cromer.

Its administrators say they want more locations locally to cope with the game’s massively rising popularity.

The Northern Beaches Pickleball Association is the biggest club in Australia with about 1600 members. The Pickleball Australia Association has 255 affiliated clubs and 15,000 members. It estimates about 25,000 people play the sport casually across the country.

Pickleball courts at Oxford Falls Grammar School.

Discover Sports Group, which operates tennis courts and coaching facilities in Sydney and Newcastle, wants to operate the pickleball courts from 6am to 11pm, seven days a week. The wellness centre would open, if the DA gets planning approval, 6am to 9pm.

In a statement of environmental effects lodged with the DA, a planning consultant for the group stated that the arena would “provide a recreational use to serve the needs of the workforce, local residents, industries and businesses within Cromer and the wider Northern Beaches region.

“The proposal also encourages improved wellbeing and generates employment opportunities and economic growth.”

Originally published as Cromer, Roche building: Push for 12-court ‘pickleball arena’ in historic industrial complex