Brothers Charlie and Edward Conroy are converting the former Ulster Tatler headquarters on Boucher Road in Belfast into FEAT4, a padel and wellness venue due to open in mid-October. The multi-million-pound project will create 15 jobs and give a vacated publishing site a new use built around one of the fastest-growing racket sports.

The Dungannon-based brothers are developing the venue at 39 Boucher Road, which will have five indoor padel courts alongside Pilates, physiotherapy, ice baths, saunas, recovery services and hospitality spaces. A dedicated heating and cooling system is designed to keep conditions comfortable all year round.

A key feature is the scale of the playing environment, with 12-metre-high court ceilings that the developers describe as a first for Northern Ireland. The height provides space for lobs and overhead shots for recreational and competitive players alike.

FEAT4 is the brothers' first padel club in Northern Ireland, and its planning submission set out an intention to expand to other locations across the region. The venture has already attracted corporate partners in Padel Mates, Agnew Belfast Volvo and KPMG.

Padel, once a niche sport, drew nearly a million players across the UK last year, which helps explain the appetite for dedicated indoor venues. The venue will also bring in specialist Spanish coaching expertise alongside its physiotherapy, Pilates and recovery facilities.

The structural driver is adaptive reuse of a vacant publishing headquarters to capture rapid padel demand, with hospitality and recovery services layered in so revenue extends beyond court bookings.

"Padel has seen incredible growth across Belfast and Northern Ireland because it's a sport that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy," said Edward Conroy, co-founder of FEAT4.

"Our aim was to create more than a sports facility, but a place people genuinely want to spend time in," he added, explaining that the brothers visited clubs across Europe and the UK before finalising the design.

For the sector, the conversion shows how underused commercial buildings are being fitted out as multi-use leisure destinations rather than demolished.

Source: Visit Belfast / Belfast Desk / News Letter / Business Eye