Angry locals of posh royal West Midlands town fume over ‘unbearable gunshot-like' racket from padel court
One resident said the proposed three new padel tennis courts in the leafy West Midlands town would “amount to bullying” as care home residents would be “forced to listen” to the deafening noise.
Residents in a posh royal town have objected to plans to build three new padel courts at an upmarket tennis club over fears of the "gunshot-like" racket.
Angry locals living in £785,000 properties worry their peace will be shattered by the three proposed new floodlit courts at Sutton Coldfield Tennis Club.
The sports club already has one court and homeowners now fear a "Gunfight at the OK Corral'-style racket if the plans are approved.
They say the existing padel court has already left the area sounding "like a warzone" with players constantly shouting and swearing. And they are now concerned the extra courts would leave them facing a daily barrage of deafening noise and also bring down house prices in the leafy West Midlands town.
The trendy game is a hybrid between squash and tennis and is considered the fastest growing sport in the world. But residents say it has no place in a suburban setting as the banging noises from players hitting the balls can be "unbearable”.
Others worry about the impact on pensioners living in nearby care homes with the noisy sport often being played 12 hours a day - between 9am until 9pm.
Media consultant Jason Kerrigan, 52, who lives just metres away from the private members club, which was founded in 1922, accused them of "bullying" locals.
The dad-of-one said: "They stuck the first court next to a couple of OAPS - just metres from their gardens and homes. The new ones will be 17 metres from our property. It’s going to be every single morning, afternoon and evening.
"It’s great fun, but people are cursing and swearing. If you’re 91, in a care home and hearing that it’s not very nice. What it amounts to is bullying, forcing them to listen to it. They will be putting it next to 115 elderly people who are sick and dying. They have dementia, Alzheimer's, cancer - all sorts. They have to listen to this banging.
“It’s a new sport but they're trying to fit it into a suburban environment, and it doesn't suit it.
“Everyone talks about them sounding like gunshots. When those rackets bash against the plexiglass it’s an incredible noise. They start at 9am in the morning, they finish at 9pm at night. There will be 16 people hitting the ball at the same time on all the different courts. There will be more shots fired than at the O.K. Corral.
“The court shouldn’t be there. We’re not complaining about one random party one evening, it’s like a party all day, everyday, forever. It's going to be awful for me; it's my back garden, but it's going to be much worse for our neighbours.”
Great-grandmother-of-four Brenda Catterall says her garden is often littered with balls and cheeky players lift her fence up to sneak in and fetch them.
The 91-year-old retired telephonist said: “They’re wanting lights and three padel courts - but the noise from the one padel court is terrible. I don’t know what the noise will be like from four.
“After 11-and-a-half years living here they have offered to put a net up as they get a lot of balls coming over, but that’s it. The fence is broken and the players often lift it up to get into the garden to get the balls. I’ve had the balls coming over for seven years.
“They’ve got lights and then there’s the traffic. Then they're going to have tournaments. There’s going to be parking all up our close, it’ll be dangerous. Highbridge Road is already filled with cars. If they have a tournament for 100 people, where are all the cars going to park? There’s a grammar school just up the road where there could be an accident.
“It’s like gunshots, bang bang constantly. Then the lights, if they put more lights up it’ll be horrific. They’re bright now and the lights can shine into all of our bungalows.
“It’s going to be unbearable to live here. The property price drop is just an addition. The main thing is the noise and the lights."
Another local, Janice Baker, 85, added: "It makes such a din. It’s ridiculous. We wouldn’t be able to open our windows in the summer. It will be like an Amazon warehouse at the back of our house."
The club has submitted plans for three new courts as their existing one, built in 2017, is usually fully booked.
The proposals also include a new 6.7 metre LED lighting system while older tennis courts will be replaced with the updated padel sections.
The game originated in Mexico in the late 1960s and relies on four players on a smaller court with enclosed glass walls.
Club secretary Peter Whatson said: "This is a really exciting development for the club which will also bring great benefits to the wider community.
"As a sports club we have to work hard and continually look forward to ensure our future viability, and it is critical that we remain relevant.
"Padel tennis is the fastest-growing racket sport in the world, and it needs to be part of our offering, offsetting the 22 per cent decline in squash and tennis membership over the last ten years.
"The club recently celebrated its centenary having been formed in 1922. Over the years we have made many improvements to the facilities including additional courts, indoor courts and the clubhouse.
"All the courts are now floodlit with many of these lights dating back 40 years - somewhat longer than most of our neighbours have lived here.
"You will appreciate that as a sports club we have to work hard and continually look forward to ensure our future viability and it is vital that we remain relevant.
"There's no doubt that padel tennis is the fastest growing sport in the world and it needs to be a part of our offering - offsetting the decline in squash and tennis membership over recent years.
"We currently have one uncovered padel court which was installed seven years ago in 2017 with members and the wider public often unable to get a slot."
A spokesperson for the Lawn Tennis Association said: "Whilst we are unable to comment on specific planning applications, padel is a rapidly growing sport that offers people the opportunity to get active in a social setting.
"We would always encourage venues to work with an acoustic consultant to locate and design courts that mitigate noise for neighbouring properties.
"As part of this process the LTA recommends engaging the local community throughout the development/planning process to enable the construction of courts that benefit the local community.”
Birmingham City Council will consider the proposals in the coming weeks.
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