Roman snails’ padel plan road block
Roman snails padel plan road block
When GB padel star Nikhil Mohindra says plans for a national padel hub in Leatherhead, Surrey, are moving at a snail’s pace he means it, quite literally.
For the six-indoor court project – submitted for planning in Septebmer 2023 – has been delayed by months after an ecological survey revealed the presence on site of four Roman snails, a species protected by law.
Not only is it illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take/possess the snails (alive or dead), a licence is required to handle them. And, because they hibernate, moving the quartet couldn’t be considered until they woke up, which should be any time soon as temperatures begin to rise.
Once the sleepy snails stir from hibernation a carefully planned relocation by wildlife experts will swing into action, shifting them all of 20m to a specially prepared new home complete with a ecologically approved fence to protect their new habitat and keep them safe.
Nikhil described the relocation (in Roman snail terms) as comparable to moving to Australia given the edible gastropods don’t travel far in their lifetime. And he remains philosophical about the set back: “It is very frustrating. It’s a legal requirement to do ecological surveys and we’ve done everything professionally. It is a slow process, excuse the pun. Everything is ready, we are just waiting for the snails to move.”
Once the snails are settled in their new home work will start in earnest on the new padel centre, an 11m high air dome design adjacent Leatherhead Leisure Centre. Nikhil is developing it in conjunction with former GB player Sandy Farquharson of The Padel School.
It will be the first indoor padel facility in Surrey. The players plan for the centre to host training camps for the GB squad, national and international competitions plus provide outreach for local organisations and schools.
The LTA – padel’s governing body in Britain – has given its backing to the scheme as has Sport England, which described it as ‘a major new sports facility’.
In passing the plans, Mole Valley District Council described the facility as a ‘unique proposal’ with ‘a number of community benefits’, including boosting tourism and improving the health and wellbeing of the wider community. 🎾
