A golf venue is aiming to scrap its previously accepted football field plan and instead build padel facilities, a practice driving area and an adventure mini-golf attraction.

If the scheme gets the green light, the East Sussex National Golf Club near Uckfield will overhaul its leisure amenities.

Club representatives explained that customer demand for recreational activities has evolved since the original blueprint included an artificial grass football pitch and a nine-hole course.

A planning declaration stated that both the hotel and surrounding neighbourhood would derive greater benefit from a golf practice range, padel courts and an adventure golf course.

Padel has expanded rapidly throughout Britain, with the Lawn Tennis Association documenting that 400,000 adults took part at least once yearly by the end of 2024, a figure far exceeding the 89,000 recorded in 2021.

Club officials indicated that transforming the football pitch area into a flat grass driving range would improve functionality and offer superior conditions for players.

The scheme entails flattening bumps and inclines, enabling balls to scatter evenly and reducing maintenance demands.

Planning papers noted that East Sussex National plan to deploy the newest robotic mowers and ball retrieval systems.

Raising the lowest parts of the field would improve sightlines, allowing golfers to track where their shots land across the range.

The changes follow assessments that found the current outfield unsuitable for a modern driving range.

Previously, the outfield contained mounds, ridges and hollows that blocked views.

The club advised that its design team, Weller Design, created these modifications, and the revised outfield would not affect plant life, wildlife or water runoff.

The updated plan would also feature a purpose-built short-game training area.

Michael Taylor, principal planning officer at Wealden District Council, indicated that they trust approval might now be granted under delegated authority, enabling the main construction phase to be scheduled in the coming months.

The site, formerly known as Little Horsted Golf Course, secured permission in December 1987 to change the land use from farming to a golf establishment.

The club welcomed the European Open in 1993 and 1994.