Wealthy homeowner’s padel court plan sparks noise row in Dorset

A plan for a padel court at a £4 million mansion in Branksome Park has turned into a sharp local fight over what Britain’s fastest-growing racket sport looks like when it lands in a conservation area. The applicant is 52-year-old IT entrepreneur Paul Woods, and the objections from neighbours have focused on noise, light and disturbance.

That dispute has teeth because Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council’s own planning guidance gives it room to weigh exactly those complaints. The council says decisions can take account of increased noise and disturbance, the impact on conservation areas, and neighbours losing light or privacy, all of which are in play around Branksome Park in Poole, Dorset.

The backlash is no longer just about one wealthy homeowner. Across England, padel projects have run into the same wall of resistance as residents and planning committees test the sport against local conditions. In Bath, planning evidence heard that padel creates much greater noise and disturbance than tennis, with one comparison likening the sound to “gunfire-like” impact. That is the kind of language now shaping how councils view courts that once might have sailed through as simple garden additions.

The timing is awkward for the sport’s developers and reassuring for those arguing that enthusiasm should not outrun the rulebook. The Lawn Tennis Association said padel participation in Great Britain climbed from around 15,000 players in 2019 to 400,000 by the end of 2024, then to 860,000 by the end of 2025. The governing body also counted 1,553 courts across 559 venues at the end of 2025, a scale that explains why disputes are moving from club grounds into residential streets.

The Dorset row also sits alongside other local pressure points in the same area, including a separate proposal at Creekmoor Park and Ride for a temporary indoor padel centre. Put together, the cases show the sport’s growth is no longer just a participation story. It is a planning story too, and in places like Branksome Park, noise, lighting and neighbour relations are deciding whether padel feels like a lifestyle upgrade or a nuisance with a court attached.