A new proposal for five padel courts in Bathampton has raised resident concerns over noise, lacking a required impact assessment. This follows repeated rejections of similar projects in Bath, including at Odd Down and Lansdown, amid the sport's rising popularity.
Smash Padel has applied to build five outdoor courts and a shipping-container pavilion on Bathampton's disused former railway station site, unused since 1966. The firm argues there are no local padel facilities, citing demand for coaching—especially for two elite young Bath athletes who travel to Bicester.
Locals in the conservation village object to the missing noise report, one telling the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "This seems to be a common reason for planning approval to be denied. Given the context of our quiet, conservation village and the topography of the surrounding countryside, this seems to be a big omission."
Bath and North East Somerset Council rejected padel proposals at Odd Down Sports Ground in 2024 (later approving a refurb without courts) and at Lansdown Tennis Club (upheld on appeal), citing disturbances likened to "Chinese water torture" and "gunfire." Padel, similar to squash with solid rackets, exploded post-Covid but remains absent in Bath.
Separately, the University of Bath's plan for two courts in a 962-bed student project is under review.