Padel court noise claims to kill wedding bookings at Kent hotel

Little Silver Country Hotel in St Michaels, Tenterden, says a neighboring padel court at London Beach Country Hotel has “killed wedding trade,” with owner Tim Farthing blaming noise fears for a sharp drop in bookings. Couples looking at the venue have worried that matches next door could carry into ceremonies and receptions, a concern that has become central to the dispute.

Farthing’s complaint lands in the middle of padel’s boom. The Lawn Tennis Association said 860,000 adults and juniors played padel at least once in 2025, up from 400,000 at the end of 2024, and LTA material put the number of courts in Britain at 1,553. That growth has created more friction around where courts are built, how close they sit to homes and businesses, and what hours they can operate without triggering complaints.

The Kent case mirrors problems already seen elsewhere in England. In Harrogate, councillors rejected plans for two outdoor courts after residents raised noise disturbance concerns. At York Sports Club, a plan for four padel courts was blocked amid complaints about “gunshot” noise from the game. In Bromsgrove, a sports club lost an appeal after Bromsgrove District Council served a Noise Nuisance Abatement Notice in March 2025 and the noise was judged a statutory nuisance.

That pattern matters because padel’s sound profile is unlike tennis or squash. Acoustic guidance has repeatedly treated court noise as a planning issue that can be reduced, but not ignored, through better siting, sound screening and tighter operating hours. When those measures are not built in early, the objections tend to arrive later, when nearby residents or businesses are already facing the consequences.

For wedding venues, the stakes are especially high. Bookings depend on the promise of quiet, privacy and a controlled atmosphere, and even the perception of intrusive noise can be enough to send couples elsewhere. In Kent, the complaint from Little Silver Country Hotel shows how padel’s expansion is no longer just a sports story about participation and court numbers. It is a planning story too, and one that is starting to test how much disruption local communities will tolerate as the game keeps growing.