Plans have been put forward to redevelop an area of a borough club to cater for two racquet sports that are growing in popularity across the country.
Proposals have been lodged to install four covered padel courts and a pickleball court at Manchester Maccabi Community And Sports Club in Prestwich.
Padel is played on a court around a third the size of a tennis court and is like a combination of tennis and squash
Meanwhile, pickleball is a mix of tennis, badminton and table tennis and can be played by singles or in doubles. The pickleball court will be smaller than the padel courts.
There will also be a pavilion to provide changing rooms, a servery, seating, functions and management offices under the plans lodged by applicant Pure Padel Clubs Ltd, which would be the operator.
There would be no membership fees involved with bookings made on a phone app or online.
READ NEXT > The childhood friends who formed band and toured around Europe in the 60s
A planning statement said: "The proposed development would respond to the increased demand for padel for visitors to Manchester Maccabi Community Sports Club.
"Padel offers significant health and wellbeing benefits by attracting people who might not otherwise participate in a sport or indeed who might not otherwise participate in any form of exercise.
"To date, the applicant isn’t aware of any padel courts in operation in Bury. The proposed development would therefore directly respond to the increased demand.
"As found on other sites operated by Pure Padel, it is understood that padel courts are above 90 per cent utilisation, with bookings taken two weeks in advance.
"The proposed development is expected to match this and provide significant sports provision for the borough."
In a statement, the committee of Bury Old Road club, which is a charitable organisation, said it is "extremely excited about the prospect of developing padel tennis and pickleball facilities on site".
READ NEXT > Rabbits Sooty and Sweep who were found under lorry looking for homes
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to the Bury Times morning newsletter as well as our breaking news alerts
One of its "main strategic imperatives" is to increase sporting provision to its Jewish members and the "broader community in general".
It will also contribute to the development of the club's "communal hub", "substantially complementing our own recent £500,000 extensive re-investment in and refurbishment of the internal and external facilities".
There are currently 350 padel courts in the UK with a further 300 in construction or in the planning process, according to the sport's governing body, the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).
In a statement, the LTA added: "There are currently no padel courts in the local area.
"There is therefore a clear unmet demand for the proposed development, particularly given the level of interest in padel."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here