Padel courts to feature in Glasgow meat market redevelopment

Padel tennis courts are to be built as part of the multi-million Meat Market sheds regeneration project in Glasgow.

Work on the B-listed structures is due to begin in August, with the site having lain dormant since the 1990s.

Originally badminton courts were part of the plans but they are now being replaced with padel tennis facilities as it is the "next big thing," a council meeting heard.

Plans for the sheds could also include a sports hall, enterprise centre, events space and bar/bistro, with an extra £600,000 in Scottish government funding now earmarked for the plan.

The increased Regeneration Capital Grant Fund award was accepted by city councillors at the city administration committee, with the council also contributing a further £400,000.

Councillor Jon Molyneux said it was a "complicated project," and asked for assurances that work would start in August as scheduled.

He said he had concerns "that this doesn't drag on longer and we see spades in the ground" and called for funding to be in place by the end of March.

An official said the £600,000 funding uplift was in relation to a change of scope, adding that it was "not necessarily to do with any uncertainty in project delivery."

He said a badminton court plan was being replaced with padel tennis facilities which officials said would provide a stable financial future for the project.

Councillor Elaine McDougall said the project had been ongoing since 2021 and asked for a breakdown of spend to date, along with the work that had taken place.

She added: "I don't see a lot happening down there and I think there has been a considerable amount of money spent."

An officer confirmed he would provide the details and said there were a number of funding sources.

A report said: "The additional RCGF award brings the project's total award from this Fund to £3,932,600."

The Glasgow Meat Market was established in 1879 and initially housed an inn, sheds and accommodation for livestock.

It was one of the last remaining markets in the country before closing in the 1980s. The area has been vacant since the 1990s when a car auction, which had been on the site for several years, closed.

Story by Local Democracy Reporter Sarah Hilley.