The hours a new padel court can be used have been cut back after noise complaints.
The courts were installed at Withdean Sports Complex last year, despite objections from neighbour Simon Farncombe.
He said the noise from a temporary pop up court had been “like being under constant gunfire”.
After complaints, Brighton and Hove City Council issued a noise abatement notice, which Freedom Leisure responded to by putting up a barrier between the courts and tongdean Lane, where Mr Farncombe lives.
The council would not confirm how many complaints were received, or who had made them.
The council then received complaints that the barrier, which did not have planning permission, was not in keeping with the area.
Its planning enforcement team then issued a planning enforcement notice requiring Freedom Leisure, which operates the site, to remove the barrier.
The centre was also told to take down an enclosure around the court made of wire mesh and solid transparent panels.
But the notice also requires the courts to not be used after 9pm on weekdays, 6pm on weekends and before 9am on any day.
A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “The environmental protection team having investigated a complaint about noise nuisance from padel play, served a Noise Abatement Notice in 2023.
“The notice was complied with by erection of a barrier and reduction of hours of play.
“The planning enforcement team has received concerns relating to noise from the use of the padel court and the impact of the acoustic barrier on the character of the area.
“The hours had been reduced voluntarily to that specified in the notice prior to the notice being issued.”
The padel court was approved in July last year by the council’s planning committee. Mr Farncombe wrote to the committee saying: “The hard bat and ball noise is like being under constant gunfire 14 hours a day.”
But Conservative councillor Ivan Lyons, who represents Westdene and Hove Park, said that the venue had “always been a sports stadium with relative noise.”
They were initially open from 8am to 10pm daily.
One NIMBY complaining
Not to mention, complaining about the noise, then when they put something up to stop the noise complaining that it didn’t look nice 😱
A little worried about what the councils understanding of padel is by the line later in the article about telling them to remove the mesh and clear panels, literally key part of the game is playing off the walls, without those it’s just tennis 😂
“Sounds” more like an indoor court would be the solution
Until its right next door to YOU
Fair enough, 9pm is late enough. Nobody should be loud that time of night. I can imagine it is very loud. They are solid rackets, significantly louder than tennis.
God forbid people’s exercise interrupts Simon’s 6 o’clock Sunday nap…
PADEL and Pickleball Courts: A Growing Trend with Noise Concerns
PADEL and Pickleball courts are rapidly gaining popularity, but they also generate significant noise levels. This issue has been widely documented on social media and via online platforms like Google.
It’s not about “NIMBY” (Not In My Back Yard) complaints, but rather a call for more thoughtful consideration in choosing court locations and incorporating noise mitigation strategies by operators and owners.
For example, the previous temporary Game4PADEL PADEL court at Withdean Sports Stadium was deemed a statutory noise nuisance by Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC), prompting the relocation of four PADEL courts away from residential areas.
That said, it’s hard to understand the logic behind BHCC’s current consideration of adding four Pickleball courts at the same location, especially without addressing noise concerns. Pickleball courts are even louder than PADEL courts, which raises serious concerns about their potential impact on the local community. Why weren’t lessons learned from the previous PADEL situation?
We need better planning and noise mitigation to ensure these popular sports can thrive without disrupting or harming the local community.