‘Community spaces are being taken away’: campaigners rail at rise of pay-to-play padel courts

Proposals to convert skateparks, children’s play areas and basketball courts have angered residents

Aiwa Saito and her children are among the many families who were regulars at Barking Skatepark. But after they skated here for more than five years, London’s only full-size indoor skatepark closed on Sunday – to be replaced with padel courts.

Padel is one of the UK’s fastest-growing sports, according to the Lawn Tennis Association, and the plan to convert Barking Skatepark is the latest in a series of proposals across London. However, some plans that have sought to build pay-to-play padel courts on top of existing spaces have angered residents and sparked claims of “gentrification” and community displacement.