Nottingham’s gearing up for a serious glow‑up in the sports world, with a brand-new international‑standard padel hub officially getting the green light.
Say hello to Padel House — a slick, purpose-built playground for padel obsessives, curious newcomers and anyone who enjoys a good coffee, a good chat or a good excuse to hang out somewhere buzzy.
This isn’t just a couple of courts tucked behind an industrial estate. ALB Group — the Carlton-based developers behind the project — are going big. Think five indoor courts, an indoor show court, four covered outdoor courts, plus a dedicated pickleball court for the fast-growing crowd who prefer their racquets with a side of chaos.
And yes, it’s built to host major tournaments. Nottingham’s already stacked with sporting heavyweights — Forest’s City Ground, Trent Bridge, Holme Pierrepont — and Padel House is aiming to slide right into that elite lineup.
Arran Bailey, ALB Group’s managing director, is understandably buzzing: planning approval means the team can finally crack on with turning Electric Avenue into a full-blown racquet-sport hotspot. The ambition? A venue that pulls in players and visitors from across the UK and beyond.
But here’s where it gets very Time Out: Padel House isn’t just about sport. It’s being designed as a proper community hangout — a modern “third space” where you can move, meet, work, lounge and linger. Expect:
- A Pilates studio
- PT and physio spaces
- Coworking areas and offices
- A lounge, bar and roof terrace
- An events plaza
- Food and drink from the creative minds behind Public and Arran’s Bagel
Public’s team summed it up neatly: this is a place built on connection, conversation and energy. Play a match, grab a drink, stay for a meeting, end up chatting to someone new — that’s the vibe.
The location’s also handy for out-of-towners, sitting close to several established hotels. Leonard Design has shaped the look and feel of the project, aligning it with the East Midlands’ wider push to create world-class sporting destinations that double as catalysts for regeneration.
Padel House is part of the ongoing redevelopment of the former Experian site, and with planning permission now locked in, construction is expected to kick off once pre-development works wrap up.
When it opens, Nottingham won’t just have a new padel venue — it’ll have one of the UK’s most ambitious racquet-sport destinations, ready to serve up tournaments, community vibes and a whole lot of post-match lounging.
If you want, I can punch this up even further — snappier, cheekier, more Time Out attitude — or tailor it for a specific audience.
