Former newspaper HQ to be turned into padel courts

The former headquarters and printing works of the Express and Star newspaper in Wolverhampton will be converted into padel courts.

City of Wolverhampton Council has approved plans to turn the building on Tower Street into Wolves Padel Centre.

The ground floor and former printing room of the city's historic Express and Star offices, which staff left in 2023 after more than 140 years, would be converted into three doubles courts and two singles courts.

According to the application submitted to the council, the newspaper's former mailroom would be converted into another doubles court for the racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and squash.

The proposed opening hours for the facility are 06:00 BST to midnight daily.

Council planners said in a report: "The proposal represents an appropriate and sustainable re-use of a large redundant building within Wolverhampton city centre.

"The scheme takes a minimal intervention approach, retaining the existing structure and character of the building whilst introducing a leisure use that is well suited to the building's scale, clear spans and double-height volumes.

"The development would secure the long-term viable use of the premises and contribute positively to the vitality and viability of the city centre."

And added: "The development would introduce a viable long-term use without causing harm to the adjacent conservation area or the significance of the building, whilst providing public benefits through investment, employment opportunities and improved sports provision."

An application to open a climbing centre in the newspaper's former press room was approved by the council in 2025.

Plans to convert other parts of the former newspaper headquarters into flats were also backed by council planners last year.

A statement included with the application said: "The scheme is a rational and efficient response to the building it occupies.

"The very characteristics that make the former press hall difficult to re-let for industrial or storage purposes - its scale, its clear spans and its double-height volumes - are exactly what an indoor racket sport requires."

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