The Hornsey Club has now submitted a planning application for four covered and floodlit padel courts on the site of the old tennis courts. The proposed hours of operation are from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week. The application can be found on the Haringey Council website, ref HGY/2026/0671, link here>>.
Padel Planning Background
You may recall that until August last year there were two temporary ‘pop-up’ padel courts in operation. Although planning approval was granted for two additional courts, the Club then fell-out with the operator and all padel playing ceased.
At our AGM last October, the chair of the Club, Jim Chapman, informed us about their plans to restart padel, but with a different operator. The proposed operator is a more professional outfit called Padeltastic Ltd, which operates other padel sites across England.
The Application
The proposed siting of the padel courts is slightly further back than previously, directly backing onto the swimming pool fence, with a gap between the courts and View Crescent (which the club is considering might be used for netball). The courts will be a more permanent and solid structure, which it is claimed will reduce the noise from balls hitting the court walls. A canopy over the courts will further reduce the noise and enable play when it is wet. It will also reduce light spillage. There will be a small reception building with toilet facilities, and there will be onsite management at all times.
The Club and operator are aware of the conditions that were attached to the previous planning consent, namely the production of a car parking management plan, the provision of cycle facilities, and a noise management plan. The application attempts to address some of these issues (although the relevant documents are based on incorrect hours of operation).
Residents’ Concerns
We have already taken soundings from those residents in close proximity who are likely to be most affected. Not surprisingly the key concerns are noise, lighting, visual impact and traffic. GMTRA met with the club and operator on 31 March and raised these issues, which came as no surprise to them. They made the point that this proposed new facility is not directly comparable to the previous padel operation, which was temporary and poorly managed. It should be quieter for several reasons: different positioning of the courts, a permanent solid structure with canopies, and a much greater use of carbon-fibre rackets which are quieter than plastic ones. A noise impact analysis is included with the application, although as mentioned it is based on incorrect hours of operation.
The Club holds the view that padel is vital for the future financial well-being of the club (although we note that the club has survived for 150 years so far without padel).
GMTRA Response
We will be submitting our comments on the application. We recognise that the precedent of playing padel here has already been set, with Council approval, so our main aim is to minimise the impact on nearby residents. We will certainly be asking for the conditions attached to the previous approval to be repeated, namely:
- Hours of operation to finish at 8pm
- An operational noise management plan
- Details of secure cycle parking facilities
- A car parking management plan
The dilemma is the design of the proposed covered structure. This will be somewhat overbearing at 9m high and not appropriate on Metropolitan Open Land, albeit in a semi-derelict corner. On the other hand, a covered structure might reduce noise and light spillage. I expect residents may have differing views on this. You may have seen the recent application by the Georgians to cover its padel courts with a similar structure, which has met with great local opposition because of its central position on MOL. But unlike here, the Georgians is not that close to any residential properties, so noise mitigation is less of a concern there.
Add Your Comments
We urge all residents to look at the application and to make your comments on the Council website. The link for comments is HERE, and the deadline for comments is 18th May 2026.