In June, Franklin Pickleball club applied to the council to have London's first dedicated pickleball facility to be built in Kingston.

The plan was to turn two warehouses at Fairfield Trade Park into a major sporting facility.

It also planned to have space for ten courts, as well as changing rooms, a reception and communal area.

Plans for the propsed ground floor (image via planning application)

However, yesterday, Monday 21 October, Kingston Council rejected the pickleball club's application.

In the application rejection document, the council's Head of Development Management, John Barry Lomax said that the reasons why the application was rejected were due to "Insufficient evidence, by lack of a comprehensive sequential test, has been submitted to justify the proposed main town centre use outside an established centre is appropriate and would not impact the vitality and viability of the town centre network and hierarchy, contrary to paragraph 91 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2023), Policy SD7 of the London Plan (2021) and Policy CS12 of the LDF Core Strategy (2012)".

Moreover, "Insufficient evidence, by a lack of a rigorous marketing report, has been submitted to demonstrate there is no quantitative or qualitative need for industrial related activity (not a Class B1, B2 and B8 Use) within the Fairfield Trade Park Locally Significant Industrial Site, contrary to Policy E4 and E6 of the London Plan (2021) and Policy DM17 of the LDF Core Strategy (2012)."

Franklin Pickleball Club's Neil Rodford told Kingston Nub: "While we submitted all the reports requested—including a 'sequential test' and a 'marketing report', but these did not seem to meet the standards required by the planners.

"I would like to thank Jared Franklin, from Franklin 'our sponsors', who has supported us from the very beginning.

"Though we didn't succeed this time, Pickleball is still at the start of an exciting journey here in London.

" Other authorities will surely recognise the need for more dedicated facilities, as the physical, mental, and social benefits of this sport are undeniable."