You might almost forget that tennis still exists, because the game of padel is very popular with most of the associations in Brabant. In 2019, our county had only 35 padel sites, now there are already 122. Good for clubs and members, but locals are annoyed by the noise.
In Auden, for example, residents could no longer sit quietly in the garden, because balls fell on the rackets and against the cage glass. The paddock is a combination of tennis and squash played with hard rackets and plastic walls. The cage acts as a kind of sound box that amplifies the sound. And the neighbors notice it.
In many other places in Brabant there are inconveniences or legal proceedings underway. A hotline has been set up, where the population Be able to convey complaints.
According to this site, a nuisance has been reported in, among other things:
- forest side,
- den bush,
- Given
- dangerous,
- Merlo
- newen
- rosmalin,
- old man
- matcher,
- Tilburg,
- Oden
- Valkensward
- Wallar.
Erik Roelofsen, of the Dutch Noise Reduction Foundation (NSG), understands the complaints, because, according to him, the paddle makes much more noise than tennis. “Two paddle courts make as much noise as ten tennis courts. With four tennis courts, you have to compare that to a hundred tennis courts. As a non-physicist, it can be a bit hard to understand, but that’s a big problem.”
According to the Nuclear Suppliers Group, alternative courts must be at least 200 meters from homes. But most municipalities adhere to the guidelines for tennis courts, which are only 50 meters apart. “There are a lot of misconceptions about that. Municipalities should think about this more carefully,” Roelofsen says.
“Even if we wanted six jobs, we would still meet the noise criteria.”
It happened in Helmond three years ago. Two tennis clubs were merged, because the padel courts in the Rijpelberg district were practically in the backyards of local residents. When noise standards were significantly exceeded, they were only allowed to play until 7.30pm. “As a result, the members stayed away and we decided to merge,” says Theo Thielen, president of TPC Espendonk, as the club is now called.
The municipality has contributed €145,000 for this move, which means that not two, but four jobs can be built in the Pruhuis area. The number of members has tripled now. A green noise barrier has been placed in front of the only house in the area. We have had no complaints since then. “Even if we wanted six jobs, we’d still be within the noise parameters,” Tellen says.
There was scope to install such a noise barrier, but the question is whether this is also possible in Uden. In any case, the association promised to dissolve it for the population.
Read also: Udense sports club wants to tackle annoying noises Padel: ‘No hassle’
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