Padel courts proposed for Braid Hills Golf Centre on Liberton Drive

Three padel courts could be added at Braid Hills Golf Centre in south Edinburgh, bringing one of the UK’s fastest-growing racket sports to the public-facing leisure site on Liberton Drive.

The planning application covers land at Braid Hills Golf Centre, 91 Liberton Drive, Edinburgh EH16 6NS. The proposal is for the erection of padel courts with associated landscaping. The scheme is also understood to include extra parking and new planting, with the courts replacing part of the centre’s short game area.

The application is at an early stage and is currently marked as awaiting assessment by the City of Edinburgh Council.

What is proposed

The proposal would introduce a new padel facility within the existing golf centre grounds.

In practical terms, the plans would mean:

• three padel courts at Braid Hills Golf Centre;
• associated landscaping around the new facility;
• additional parking provision; and
• new planting as part of the site changes.

Padel is usually played in doubles on an enclosed court, combining elements of tennis and squash. Its growth has led to a rising number of planning applications for courts at leisure centres, sports clubs, hotels and other recreation sites across the UK.

At Braid Hills, the change would add a non-golf sporting use within an established outdoor leisure destination, rather than creating a standalone sports venue on a new site.

The site

Braid Hills Golf Centre sits at 91 Liberton Drive, on the south side of Edinburgh. The site is already used for sport and recreation, and the proposal focuses on part of the existing golf centre rather than a residential street or undeveloped urban plot.

The centre is in the wider Braid Hills area, close to established neighbourhoods including Liberton and Greenbank. Any change at the site is likely to interest regular users of the golf centre, nearby residents, local sports groups and people travelling to the area for leisure.

The key physical change is the loss of part of the short game area to make way for the padel courts, with landscaping intended to form part of the finished layout.

Why it matters

This is a modest-sized application, but it is worth watching because it would alter the mix of sports facilities at a known public leisure site.

For golfers, the main issue is how the new courts would affect the existing practice offer at the centre, especially the short game area. For padel players, the application could mean a new place to play in south Edinburgh, where demand for courts has been growing alongside the sport’s wider popularity.

For neighbours, the points of interest are more likely to be the everyday effects of the courts: activity levels, parking, landscaping and how the new sports use would sit within the current golf centre operations. The application description is focused on the courts and landscaping, with no decision yet made by the council.

Because the site is already in leisure use, the central planning question is not whether sport belongs there in principle, but how this particular addition would fit into the existing site and its surroundings.

What happens next

The application has been received and validated by the City of Edinburgh Council and is currently awaiting assessment. Planning officers will consider the proposal against relevant planning policy and any consultation responses or public comments submitted through the council’s planning portal.

Residents and interested parties can search the City of Edinburgh Council planning portal using the address or the planning reference: 26/02521/FUL.

The site address is Braid Hills Golf Centre, 91 Liberton Drive, Edinburgh EH16 6NS.