FORMER REPUBLIC OF Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given’s plans for a €4m ‘state of the art’ padel centre of excellence on lands within the grounds of The Club Hotel at Goffs, Co Kildare have fallen foul of planners.

This follows Kildare Co Council refusing planning permission to SFW Distribution Limited for the the facility, which comprises nine championship-standard indoor padel courts, along with complementary fitness and wellness offerings including gym and recovery rooms on a site southwest of Goffs at Greenhill in Co Kildare

Donegal native Shay Given has entered a partnership with businessman Declan Fagan of SFW Distribution to develop the padel centre under the ‘Arena Padel’ brand.

The 49-year old is the second-most capped Republic of Ireland player, and had a long and distinguished career playing for Newcastle, Man City and Aston Villa. He is now a regular football pundit on BBC, RTÉ and Premier Sports.

A report lodged with the application stated that “the facility will be the largest facility of its kind in Ireland and will be a major sporting asset for the County of Kildare”.

The report states that it is accepted that the zoning refers to equine related development but given the proposed land use “is only a minor element of the overall zoning objective and is related to the hotel, which itself if not exclusively equine related, we consider that it is compliant”.

However, the scheme has failed to get lift-off due to the equine-related zoning of the lands in question.

No objections were lodged against the proposal but in its refusal, the Council has turned down planning permission and cited the ‘Equine Based Leisure Tourism and Enterprise” zoning on site where the objective is “to develop equine based industry at Goffs”.

The Council state that this zoning objective is to facilitate the expansion of an existing equine-based development at Kill and the lands in question are for equine based leisure tourism and enterprise.

The Council stated that any development must be equine based and fully integrated within this primary focus of activities on the site and that the proposed Padel Centre of Excellence materially contravenes the zoning of the site “as it is not an equine based development and would set an undesirable precedent for similar non-equine related uses on the landholding”

A report lodged with the application stated that up to 30 jobs will be created from the venture.

When the plans were lodged at the end of July, Shay Given commented: “We’ve founded Arena Padel to bring padel tennis to the masses by investing in purpose built, modern sports arenas. We have found an ideal location in Goffs and can’t wait to start welcoming players early next year.”

SFW Distribution Ltd now has the option of lodging an appeal against the Council decision with An Coimisiún Pleanála.