Ashby gym withdraws padel courts plans - amid concerns of 'gun-shot' noise close to nearby homes
An Ashby gymnasium has withdrawn a planning application to build two state-of-the-art padel courts.
Bluestone Fitness proposed the new facilities at its site on Smisby Road.
The relatively new sport is designed to offer a fun, accessible, and social way for people of all ages and abilities to stay active.
Padel is a racket sport that is similar to tennis and squash, but played on a smaller court with solid rackets and walls.
However, Ashby de la Zouch Town Council raised an objection to the scheme - and that was echoed by residents living close to the site.
The Town Council said: "The tennis courts should be placed in a different area to mitigate noise which will impact on neighbours.
"The 'gun shot' type noise that the rackets will create could also potentially harm local wildlife."
Ward councillor, Murrae-Blair Park, said there was room for manoeuvre when it comes to the positioning of the courts.
He said: "At this stage, I would object to this application on the grounds of noise pollution for locate residents, who have had to a number of issues with local businesses in that area.
"If the courts can be located away from the rear fence to maybe the side of the existing gym, I would have no objection to that in principle."
But one local resident added: "These padel Courts are planned to be approximately 19 metres from my property.
"As it is already a very noisy space this will affect my peace and quiet."
Another gave a more detailed objection and said: "The noise from the proposed two padel tennis courts, even with the recommended sound measures in place, will be totally unacceptable and will severely impact our quality of life and our right to peaceful enjoyment of our property.
"It would be totally inappropriate to be so close to residential properties. Our quality of life is already badly impacted by ongoing noise from the neighbouring commercial properties, of which the council is aware and has taken steps to try to rectify.
"We will be unable to relax and enjoy our garden or even open our windows with these two courts operating almost all year round and for most of the day and evening.
"Our lives would be destroyed. This is NOT a quiet sport. It is high-intensity and dramatically louder than regular tennis.
"The resulting noise pollution has been described as 'gun-fire like noise with the balls constantly rebounding against court walls, surfaces and rackets'. The rackets themselves are much harder than conventional tennis rackets thus creating a much louder noise when striking the ball. In addition the vocal sounds from excited players such as yelling, cheering, grunting and possibly swearing will add to the toxic noise mix making it even more intrusive.
"I would also like you to consider the environmental impact. There is a fair sized community of wildlife living along the Gilwiskaw Brook which flows between the grassy edge of our residential estate and the area for the proposed padel courts. For the past few years we have a returning, breeding pair of wild mallard ducks on the grassy area, moving to and from the stream.
"Last year they successfully raised a brood of ducklings. This year there are three breeding pairs. There are hedgehogs too. In addition, there are a wide variety of birds - goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches, green blue and long-tailed tits, robins, wrens, blackbirds, sparrows and even a lesser spotted woodpecker.
"I would like to draw your attention to the following article in the Dutch News - January 2023. A group comprising of The Dutch Tennis and Padel Association, specialist builders and anti-noise campaigners have agreed recommendations for the construction of new padel courts in the Netherlands, following numerous complaints from residents living near existing courts. Their recommendation is that new courts in the Netherlands should be built no closer than 100 metres from residential properties and in some cases up to 160 metres away."
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