Just Padel Preston is Lancashire’s first dedicated indoor padel tennis facility and the founding project in what has since become the North West’s leading padel portfolio. Located within a prominent city centre building on Corporation Street, the scheme established a new sporting typology for Preston, introducing year-round indoor padel to the city for the first time. Studio FRI has acted as lead architectural and planning consultant to Just Padel since inception, providing the strategic planning insight and architectural leadership that has supported the brand’s expansion across Preston, Bolton and Blackpool.
Delivered within the former Office Outlet building, the project transformed a long-vacant commercial unit into a contemporary indoor leisure destination. Professional-standard padel courts are complemented by a café and social space, creating a facility that is both functional and civic in character. The central location anchors padel within Preston’s urban fabric, drawing activity back into the city centre and contributing to wider regeneration and footfall.
The project was driven by a planning-first approach, with design strategy shaped by policy compliance, operational requirements and long-term viability. Studio FRI secured full planning permission for the change of use from retail to indoor leisure (Class E), enabling the delivery of Preston’s first indoor padel centre while reactivating a redundant building. Advertisement consent was also secured, ensuring the Just Padel brand presence was integrated sensitively within the existing streetscape.
Studio FRI’s role extended beyond architectural design to encompass feasibility, technical coordination and end-to-end planning delivery. The project began with a detailed 3D point cloud survey, allowing proposals to respond precisely to the building’s constraints and padel-specific requirements. Studio FRI prepared and submitted the full planning application, including planning statements, Noise Impact Assessments and Transport Statements, working directly with Preston City Council to secure a smooth and efficient approval.
Before Just Padel Preston, the city had no dedicated padel provision. The facility introduced year round indoor padel to Lancashire for the first time, establishing a new benchmark for accessibility, quality and user experience. The venue operates as both a sporting and social destination, supporting health, wellbeing and repeat engagement while strengthening Preston’s leisure offer.
Just Padel Preston demonstrates Studio FRI’s approach to planning-led architecture: unlocking value from underutilised buildings through strategic insight, technical rigour and considered design. The project stands as a reference point for indoor padel facilities in the UK and a foundation for the sport’s continued growth across the region.
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Studio FRI is a contemporary architectural and planning practice based in Preston, working across Lancashire and the wider North West. We specialise in refined residential architecture and strategic planning, delivering calm, considered design solutions shaped by insight, proportion and purpose.
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