Neighbours and club members fear the sound of “constant gun shots” will echo around a tennis club if plans to add padel courts get the go-ahead.
Tunbridge Wells Lawn Tennis Club – which has eight grass, four hard and nine clay courts – applied for planning permission at the end of May.

Proposals have been submitted to replace two of the hard courts in the middle of the site with three smaller ones for padel. Work would take up to three months.
The club, which has more than 800 members, also wants permission to dig up three of the existing grass courts and replace them with three of “standard slab construction” of either hard surface or clay.
As a result, the club would be left with only five grass courts.
Charlotte Lawson has been a member for more than 10 years and isn’t happy about the proposed introduction of padel.
She explained: “They would have a very negative impact on the enjoyment of the club, of playing tennis, and of its beautiful surroundings.
“There are very real concerns about the impact that they would have, being sited within a conservation area and being very close to residential dwellings.
“Padel courts generate significant additional noise over that generated by hitting a tennis ball.

“The sound of hitting a padel ball is described as constant gunshots, producing an average noise level of 60 decibels each time the ball hits the glass walls of the courts or hits the solid plastic racquet.
“You normally have four players on a padel court, so there would be constant banging.
“With tennis courts on either side and directly in front of the proposed new padel courts, the effect on tennis players’ concentration and consequent enjoyment of their game would be significantly compromised.”
A mix between tennis and squash, padel is already a hit on the continent but is now growing in popuarity in the UK, with people of all ages giving it a go.
The Mexican tennis craze has seen new courts popping up all over the county.
Read more: I tried the country’s fastest-growing sport
The new plans for Tunbridge Wells also include an additional social space.
If approved, the courts would be open seven days a week between 7am and 10pm on weekdays and 8am-8pm on weekends.
The design and access statement submitted to the council adds that there is a “clear gap in the market” in the town.

It states: “There are currently no permanent padel courts in Tunbridge Wells or the immediate surrounding area.
“We are determined to encourage and support community participation in padel.
“No adverse impacts from the padel and tennis courts being installed are currently anticipated.”
But Charlotte says she wants to protect the club’s 126-year heritage, adding: “We are trying to ensure the club’s future is preserved and to make sure we do not have our club ruined.
“There was no consultation with members or residents before the plans were submitted.
“Detailed surveys and reports covering noise, light pollution, and flooding need to be undertaken before any decision regarding planning is made.
“Members love their club. It’s got a fantastic ambience.
“It’s a unique site within the middle of a town, which we’re absolutely intent upon trying to preserve and conserve for future generations.”

Orla Finn, who lives in Upper Cumberland Walk opposite the club, says she has already had several issues in the past regarding noise coming from the site.
She said: “The noise really travels depending on which way the wind is going.
“The sound of padel is just like bullets hitting off a wall. It seems ridiculous.
“It would be horrendous having the noise from 7am until 10pm.”
Orla, who has been a club member for 21 years, has also raised concerns about the risk of flooding at the site.
She said: “We’re not a designated flood area, but the area constantly floods because the drains aren’t adequate at all. There are constant sinkholes.
“The plans mention removing three of the grass courts, and the houses that back onto them already suffer flooding, so it’s only going to make the issue worse.

“Anytime there is heavy rain, the drains can’t cope, so we get flooding. It’s just been really badly thought out.”
She added that the current atmosphere at the club was “awful” due to the discourse, adding that a public consultation should have been held prior to the plans being submitted.
She said: “Padel courts will change the whole atmosphere of the place. For existing members playing tennis, it would be awful.
“It’s a lawn tennis club, it should stay that way. If anything, they should be putting in more grass courts.”
More than 20 complaints have been lodged on the council’s planning portal, with one person saying: “This planning application is incomplete, it has not considered the required analysis to progress.
“The club does not yet have the mandate of its members to progress this venture, nor does it have the support of the local community.
“The club is thriving; it is operating with a full membership complement. It did not adopt rollerblading in the 90s, nor did it start selling UGG boots in the noughties.
“Let’s not sully our beautiful conservation area with this fad – tennis has prevailed for over 120 years, we should support it in continuing to do so.”

Fears over traffic problems and limited parking at the site have also been raised.
However, several comments of support have also been submitted on the portal, with one person saying: “We must evolve in order to continue to exist as a club.”
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Another added: “Having this facility in Tunbridge Wells will not only be a great resource for the local players, it will also help reduce the use of cars and general traffic in and out of the town.”
The tennis club’s board said: “The club is discussing the proposals widely and the planning application is just one part of a detailed process.
“Once the club has been through that process – which could take six to nine months – there will be a vote of the membership on whether padel should be installed at the club or not.”