How Bath has banned padel

It’s the world’s fastest-growing sport with councils inundated with planning applications to build new courts to meet the demand. 

But it looks like padel – the racquet sport which was founded in Mexico in 1969 – will not be making its way over to Bath. 

While the sport is gaining popularity with celebrities such as David Beckham and in some of Britain’s affluent towns, the city in Somerset does not have a single court with the council rejecting applications.  

Most recently, plans to build four courts were scrapped after locals complained the noise would be like ‘Chinese water torture’.

One resident, Melvyn Caldwell, 77, said he was ‘delighted’ the plans have been turned down.

He said: ‘It would have been far too noisy for those of us living nearby.

‘The sound of the ball coming off these solid racquets is like gunfire and it would seriously disturb people’s peace.

‘With four games going on at the same time, you’d think you were in a firefight.

‘I’ve heard people describe it as being like Chinese water torture, but I think it might actually be worse.

‘It’s a good day for local democracy.’

Retired motor mechanic Mr Caldwell added: ‘I know a woman who left her home in Spain because she was driven away by the sound of padel being played next door to her.

‘She ended up moving back to the UK and bought a place here near the sports centre and she told me the other day that if this application hadn’t been thrown out, she’d be leaving here too.’

Currently, padel enthusiasts in Bath have to travel to Bristol or Corsham to play their sport.

More than 60 members of the nearby Lansdown Tennis Club make regular trips to Bristol to play but when the club applied for planning permission for two padel courts last year, the planning committee said the ‘gunfire-like’ noise of the game would harm neighbours’ mental health and turned the plans down.

One councillor warned the noise would be close to meeting the World Health Organisation definition of ‘seriously annoying’.

The club appealed but the Planning Inspectorate said the council had made the right decision.

Planning inspector Andrew Boughton said the sport had ‘noisier volleys and a faster cadence of ball impact compared to lawn tennis’, and that neighbours would be sensitive to even a minor change in noise levels.

Christine Mottram, 72, is a retired primary school teacher and disagrees with the decision to block building the courts at Odd Down on the edge of Bath.

She said: ‘Exercise is a good habit and those habits to begin early. Any sport is a good thing for children to learn and enjoy and I am disappointed this opportunity has been taken away from them.

‘I am a local and I would be happy to put up with a little bit of noise for the greater good of children, and everybody else for that matter enjoying exercise.

‘I think this is a very shortsighted decision.

‘If I was young or younger I would have loved the chance to play a sport like padel. It looks very exciting.’

Her husband, Ray, 73, a retired engineer, said: ‘This is a poor decision. We always hear that young people don’t have enough to do and that can lead to them getting in trouble, but here was a chance to give them something enjoyable to do and it’s been taken away from them – and taken from anyone else who wanted to learn how to play paddle in the area. It is a shame.’

Retired nurse Marianne Pearson, 79, agreed. She said: ‘This is a terrible decision. As a nurse all my life I regularly saw the effects of a lack of exercise.

‘Every offer to provide sport to people should be taken.

‘We constantly hear that young people don’t have enough things to do and that if they don’t have any activity, some of them can become destructive and start vandalising public spaces.

‘I think young people especially would have benefited from this opportunity to play a sport that seems to be pretty cool.

‘Surely this game can’t be any noisier than 22 people yelling at each other during a football match, like we have at the sports ground now.’

Spaniard Daniel Cano, 47, learnt to play padel in Spain but has had nowhere to play since he moved to Bath several months ago.

He said: ‘I absolutely love padel and I was so excited to hear they were building four courts right here on my doorstep.

‘But now I understand it is not happening and for me personally it is devastating.

‘It is such a good sport and so healthy and it really is not that noisy. There are games of football going on here all the time and that is much much noisier.

‘The people that made this decision should be ashamed of themselves.

‘There isn’t a single place in Bath where you can play padel and that is frankly ridiculous.

‘It’s a great sport for young people to learn, but you can play padel whatever your age and ability. It is just one of those sports that anybody can play and take a lot of pleasure from.

‘This decision is just crazy.’

The padel courts were part of plans for a major extension and refurbishment of a sports ground at Odd Down on the edge of Bath.

A revised planning application, including a gym, mini cycle track and improved lighting for the 3G pitch – but no padel courts – is now awaiting a decision by Bath and North East Somerset Council.

The planning application, submitted in September, said a separate application for padel courts may still be submitted at a later date.

But local councillor Steve Hedges said that although he was against the four courts being built, he believes a compromise solution can still be found.

He said: ‘The plans that were presented showed four courts situated at the front of the complex, close to the houses running along Bloomfield Road.

‘Understandable, the locals objected and I supported them in that.

‘But I understand that now a new planning application is being drawn up with the courts being situated a good way away from the main road and inside a structure that features noise-absorption materials. My hope is that this will be the solution.

‘I want people to be able to enjoy sport and I will support this compromise solution, as long as I am satisfied that the noise problem has been mitigated effectively.’

Bath and North East Somerset Council have been contacted for comment.