A Marton tennis venue is now able to increase its provision of padel courts, following council approval.
Tennis World, which currently hosts two padel courts, has been allowed to build an additional three, which will see one of the existing outside tennis courts removed to make way for the new, smaller, covered courts.
While Middlesbrough Council planning officers highlighted the potential noise problems, there were no objections put forward by neighbours or wider consultees and council officers concluded they were satisfied with the proposals.
The plans are for carpet laid synthetic grass courts, each in their own roofed enclosure, with up to 13 hours of play a day. The new padel courts will be the latest additions in the region, following numerous sites in the North East opening to the public already this year.
Padel is a rapidly growing racket sport in the United Kingdom, not to be confused with pickleball. Padel involves aspects of both tennis and squash, with a tennis-like court being enclosed by walls that the ball can be played off of, in a similar vein to squash. Rackets are stringless and the rules vary compared to the more well-known sport of tennis.
Image: Freepik
The Teesside-based club’s website outlines that two fully covered padel courts were built in 2018 and this was when Middlesbrough Padel Club “was born”. In addition to these two padel courts, the club boasts four indoor tennis courts, six outdoor courts as well as a clubhouse/function room. The approval of the additional padel courts by council officers came shortly after the death of Tennis World founder Foster Henry Garter.
Last month, two new padel courts opened in Ingleby Barwick, replacing a five-a-side football pitch. The new facility for the fast-growing sport is at the Bannatyne health club on Myton Road – but non-members will also be able to use them. Throughout 2025, sites have been popping up across the Tees Valley as well as plans for new sites being registered with local councils.
Up and down the country, it has been common for proposed padel courts to receive opposition from local residents for a plethora of reasons, namely the noise pollution that comes from the high-speed game. However, in the case of Tennis World’s application, not a single neighbour objection was registered on the council’s planning portal.
Potential noise issues were highlighted within the council’s delegated report, which said: “Given the nature of the sport, there is potential for noise and disturbance to occupiers of nearby properties. However, the location of the dwellings adjacent to existing tennis courts, the electricity substation to the north and Marton Road to the west, there is already a high level of background noise in the vicinity of the site.”
Comments go on to explain that as part of the project, internal facing walls surrounding the courts would consist of Kingspan dense boards, which would act as an additional sound barrier, along with a curfew on when play would stop. With the time limit, sound barriers, and courts being located approximately 60m from residential properties, the environmental health department was satisfied that a noise assessment did not need to be submitted and as such, the department didn’t raise any objections.
The proposed opening hours submitted as part of the original application ranged from 8am to 10pm every day of the week, including Sundays and bank holidays. Opening hours approved by the council will see the courts in operation from 8am to 9pm each day, so a slightly earlier finish than initially hoped for. The application form also detailed that there will be no change to the parking provision available at the site.
