Residents near Northway Tennis Club in Hampstead Garden Suburb had feared their peaceful existence would be ruined after it applied to install five courts.
But after homeowners made their feelings clear in online comments and through a petition, Barnet Council ruled that the plans would not be suitable for the area.
Padel is widely considered to be the fastest-growing sport in the world and there are now nearly 900 courts in the UK.
However, plans for new facilities are often met with hostility – who fear that the gunshot-like noise from racquets and shouting players will cause disruption.
Speaking last week, residents of leafy Hampstead Garden Suburb – where the average house price is £1.4 million – and the surrounding area said they were pleased with the outcome.
But some fear the battle is not over – and the tennis club will appeal or resubmit plans.
Sheila McTighe, 70, who has lived in her home for over 25 years, said: “I think most of us on the street were against the plans.
“We were worried about the noise mostly. It is like gunshots. We need to protect the wildlife who would be impacted by that noise.
“I helped to set up the petition. We also didn’t want to drive people to an area where we don’t have parking restrictions.
“We need to safeguard the look of the street. All the high walls and infrastructure would look out of place. So, it is also about preserving the area.
“We are worried about them appealing again. We don’t know if we will be notified to organise objections in the way we did last time.”
In Oakwood Road, situated off the back of the 120-year-old Northway Gardens, residents say their wealthy neighbourhood will not back down.
Chris Kitsiov, 76, who has lived in his home on the street for 24 years added: “It is in the back of my garden practically.
“They tried to bring in padel some time ago and we managed to stop them.
“The noise and the parking are the main concerns. Even now when they play tennis the parking is completely full.
“It is a beautiful place, well until they do that. I am completely against it. We did quite a lot at the time to oppose it. There are a lot of solicitors and barristers living on this road so they did fight against it.”
However, not all residents were bothered by the idea of padel courts, with some saying that the playground and tennis already create a lot of noise.
Alberto Lemma, 42, who has lived in his home for almost 40 years said: “I am against any kind of sporting activity right behind my home, including tennis because it is noisy.
“People who go there also come and use our parking. It is not just the tennis people it is people who drive to walk their dog here.
“Only since we started working from home has it become annoying to me.
“I just think it is weird that they want to do it because the tennis is so popular.
“Mainly I can always hear the kids screaming in the playground, so I don’t think the padel courts will make much difference.”
The plans were refused by Barnet Council in May.
The refusal decision said: “The proposed development, in particular the additional external fencing/enclosures and the new pavilion building, would fail to preserve the openness of the Metropolitan Open Land and consequently constitutes as inappropriate development.
“Furthermore, the proposed development would be considered to harm the character and appearance of Northway Gardens, of detriment to the wider HGS conservation area. “The proposed padel courts would be expected to result in an increase in the levels of noise and disturbance in contrast to the existing tennis court use, of detriment to the residential amenities of neighbouring occupiers along Oakwood Road, contrary to Policy D3 of the London Plan, and Policy CDH01 of Barnet’s Local Plan (adopted March 2025).”
