In late October, an application submitted by Social Sports Society House of Sport was validated to turn the upper floor of the car park into a “padel sports centre” consisting of six courts, two canopies, a clubhouse and changing facilities.
According to a planning statement, the five storey car park provides a total of 800 parking spaces and 155 of these are located on the fifth floor.
It comes after plans for the potential redevelopment of The Liberty Shopping Centre were first featured on Havering Council’s planning portal in September, after owners Redical Ltd submitted a request for a screening opinion.
The changes proposed include the creation of up to 800 new homes across three plots of the site, with the first plot along Western Road earmarked to provide around 400 homes across three residential buildings with retail opportunity below.
The main core of the shopping centre would be retained whilst Stewards Walk is set for a major redevelopment and The Liberty entrance from Western Road could also be moved back to create public realm space.
Social Sports Society seeks to “bring people from different backgrounds together though social activities which support mental and physical health and happiness”.
The company has facilities in Wembley, Brent Cross and Sutton and has plans to launch several sites in 2026 including Manchester, Derby and Bangor.
The planned Romford site would combine “high-quality courts with welcoming social spaces, providing both competitive play and an inclusive environment for families, schools and local businesses”.
Social Sports Society describes padel as a cross between tennis and squash.
The proposed opening hours for the centre are 7am-11pm with peak times expected to be 7am-10am and 5pm-11pm.
According to the planning statement, free play would be offered to community members who would otherwise lack access to the facilities and at least 10 hours of free or discounted sports or activities per will would be provided.
A decision is expected to be made by Havering Council by December 17.
