Plans for sport courts and cafe in Norwich's Whiffler Road

Part of Kirkham House in Whiffler Road was set to be transformed into a multi-sport area under designs submitted by Racket Hub to Norwich City Council.

The site would provide courts to play badminton, pickleball, short tennis, junior tennis and table tennis.

Kirkham House is in Whiffler Road (Image: Google Maps)

Under the scheme it would also have three indoor padel courts.

The site would also have showers and changing rooms built for players, as well as a cafe and lounge area, all of which will be available for members and waiting parents.

Speaking at the time, a spokesman for the company said: "We plan to be the first centre to offer access to premium quality padel courts in East Anglia."

The courts would be the first of their kind in East Anglia (Image: Adam Gasson/PA) However, despite Norwich City Council approving the plans for the new sports hub, a spokesman for Racket Hub has confirmed that the company would not be proceeding with the site. 

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He said: "We have abandoned that site and plan to be opening in a new site next year."

He did, however, confirm that the company was looking to open an indoor sports centre in the Norwich area.

Highball Climbing Centre will be relocating to a part of Kirkham House after plans were approved by Norwich City Council earlier this year.

The huge site used to be an Aviva data hub (Image: Google)

The climbing centre had been operating out of Twickenham Road, in the Union Park industrial estate in Hellesdon, where it opened in 2012.

Kirkham House has been empty since 2020 when it stopped being used as a data centre for Aviva.