Game, set, match!

On behalf of our clients, Four Oaks Tennis Club in Sutton Coldfield, we are delighted to have secured planning permission from Birmingham City Council for the installation of 2 uncovered padel courts and associated floodlighting for daily use up to 9pm. Tyler Parkes provided all planning and architectural advice for the proposal and the scheme was approved as submitted.

Padel tennis is renowned as one of the fastest growing sports in the world. It is derived from lawn tennis and has been played globally since the 1960s. Padel is typically played in doubles on an enclosed court a third the size of a tennis court. Scoring is similar to traditional tennis and the ball is similar but with a little less pressure. The main difference is that the court has a surrounding enclosure that the ball can be played off, in a similar way as in the game of squash, using specially designed paddles. The Lawn Tennis Association forecasts there will be 1,000 courts in the UK and 600,000 players in 3 years’ time.

Tennis has been played on the Four Oaks Tennis Club site since its founding in 1906 and the Club has been providing a wonderful sporting and social amenity for the local community ever since. The Club has progressed from traditional grass and clay courts to tarmac, Astroturf and carpet, enabling play all year round. It now has 9 courts in regular use. The padel proposal will add to the Club’s vitality and viability and is complementary to more traditional tennis.

The Club sits in the heart of the Four Oaks Conservation Area, which is characterised by large residential properties sitting in spacious grounds. There are also some listed buildings nearby. Given the potential constraints to any development at the site, including the impact on heritage assets and the potential for noise and lighting disturbance to neighbours, we recommended a pre-application submission was made, with the proposal accompanied at the outset by a Heritage Report and Noise Report as we knew these would be the key issues. We had a positive on-site meeting with the Planning Officer.

In working up the subsequent planning application, we recommended the Club work closely with its neighbours to ensure any concerns could be dealt with in the scheme’s detailing.  The submitted planning application was accompanied with specialist reports covering lighting, heritage, noise and landscaping. We liaised closely with the Planning Officer and the Club during the processing of the planning application, dealing promptly with any queries raised. 

81 letters of support were received by the Council and no objections were raised by any of the Council’s technical consultees. Sport England were supportive. In approving the application under delegated powers, the Council agreed the proposal would contribute to healthier lifestyles and would enhance an existing supporting facility, and the appropriate and sympathetic lighting would provide a satisfactory balance between sport and the amenity of local residents.

This latest consent is one of a number of successful planning permissions we have obtained for padel tennis. We have also worked for tennis clubs in the region on a variety of other proposals. Please do get in touch if you have any proposals you would like to progress with us!