Castle Hill: Local racquet group lodges plans for padel courts at 264 Old Northern Rd

A northwest Sydney sporting club is hoping to spread awareness for the Mexican sport of padel ball by building six courts and a clubhouse. Here’s what we know.

Artist impression of the proposed outdoor padel court facility. Picture: Hills Shire Council

A local racquet club hopes to encourage residents in northwest Sydney to have a swinging good time and try padel ball.

The Castle Hill Racquet Club has lodged a development application to Hills Shire Council to build an outdoor recreational facility at 264 Old Northern Rd.

Plans for this facility include building six outdoor padel courts, with three covered and three uncovered, a reception and clubhouse with amenities, and reinstatement of the carpark across Castle Pl for the club.

Padel is a racket sport originally from Mexico and is a cross between tennis and squash. It is also similar to the widely popular pickleball, with the major difference being padel allows the ball to be played off the walls.

Another artist impression of the proposed outdoor padel courts. Picture: Hills Shire Council

An aerial artistic impression of the six proposed outdoor padel courts. Picture: Hills Shire Council

This allows padel players to strategise and use angles to optimise their bounces.

The outdoor facility will accommodate a maximum of 300 people, with proposed operating hours 6am to 12am, seven days a week.

A statement of environmental effects prepared by Ethos Urban on behalf of the developer highlights the outdoor facility will benefit the community.

“The proposed development caters to a much-desired need of sporting facilities for the local government area while contributing to growing Castle Hill as a genuine mixed use centre,” it states.

An aerial view of the site for the proposed outdoor padel courts. Picture: Hills Shire Council

“Supporting technical studies which accompany this DA confirm that the environmental impacts associate with the proposal are generally positive and will not give rise to any adverse impacts.”

The Castle Hill Racquet Club hopes to “spread awareness of padel ball” and “stimulate the local community through their health and fitness locations”.

The proposed site is a car park near two locally listed heritage sites; the former police station and the former Castle Hill Public School.