The Heron Country Club in Brentwood is a prestigious 27-hole golf club and hospitality venue set in over 300 acres of Essex countryside. The directors chose to convert an area of its car park to create a stylish padel facility. The decision was made to complement the Heron brand and offer a new, exciting service to members and non-members alike.
Construction speed and flexabiliy
“As a fast growing sport we identified padel as the right addition to our services. We contacted Smart-Space, following a recommendation, to ask them for some options. We were very pleased with the potential speed of build and flexible terms so we went ahead” explained Alex Bartlett, Club Director.
The Heron Country Club opted for the car park space as the ground was ideal for a Smart-Space instant building as no foundations are required. It is also well situated for visitors to the main clubhouse - perfect for raising awareness and allowing access to the new padel club.
Maxi-Space solution for a clear span
The building is large - 20m by 20m - so Smart-Space installed an instant building using its Maxi-Space framework to construct for such a large unit. This makes it secure and robust enough to withstand our inclement British weather. Together with 6m in height it lends itself perfectly for use as a padel club.
“We were keen to have a club that could be used all year round” explained Alex. “Having a Smart-Space instant building was an excellent choice in terms of cost-effectiveness, speed and planning permission. The PVC roof allows plenty of natural light and we have added floodlights so we can stay open each day until 9.30pm, even in winter.”
Smart-Space really cared
The build was managed by Russ Slater who is the company’s Operations Manager, supported by sales, the warehouse team, health and safety experts and, of course, the ever-reliable and experienced site crew who “were respectful and minimised any potential disruption.”
“It all went very smoothly. We did have a minor issue with the canopy flapping in high winds but the maintenance guys came out straightaway to fix it which was managed satisfactorily” explained Alex.
An all year round padel canopy solution
The Heron Padel Club is fully open offering year-round play thanks to the effectiveness of the canopy solution. The club coach, the UK’s number one padel player Frankie Langan, has taken up his post as Director of Padel so the future for padel at the Heron Country Club is looking very bright.
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"Having a Smart-Space instant building was an excellent choice in terms of cost-effectiveness, speed and planning permission."
