Glasgow bowling club wins approval for three padel courts despite 79 objections

Padel is coming to one of Glasgow's quieter corners. Glasgow City Council's planning applications committee has approved three courts on land just south of Titwood Bowling Club on Glencairn Drive, in the West Pollokshields conservation area, even though 79 objections were lodged against the scheme.

The decision came at Tuesday's committee meeting, after councillors had visited the site, which also has tennis courts. One councillor, Hanif Raja, dissented. The council's own report to the committee counted 92 representations in total, with 12 in support of the plans.

Why the bowling club wants it

The applicant, Gancho Padel Ltd, describes the project as a half-million-pound investment. Its director, Harvey Moyes, told the committee that the design had been changed in response to feedback from both supporters and critics.

For the bowling club, the money matters. Club secretary Alan Smith explained that the club owns the land where the courts will go, depends heavily on hiring out its building for functions, and does not have enough funds to carry on as it is. With membership flat, he warned that closure was a real possibility, and argued that padel would bring a new crowd to the site.

The noise question

Neighbours were not convinced. One resident described the sport's soundtrack of cracks, bangs and shouting, and pointed out that up to 12 players could be on site at once between 8am and 10pm, every day of the week. Another objector, Dr Brian Smith, called it inappropriate to bring "a sport renowned for its raucous nature" into a quiet conservation area.

The applicant's acoustic consultant, Adam Walker, accepted that play might sometimes be heard but concluded that the effect would be noticeable rather than intrusive. Councillor John Daly said he respected residents' worries, but felt the mitigation was enough and that any future noise problems could be handled by environmental health.

What will be built

The plans show synthetic courts enclosed by three-metre glass panels with a metre of mesh fencing above, acoustic screens and lighting. A new single-storey building will hold changing rooms, showers, toilets and a reception.

It is the latest example of a theme we keep coming back to at Off The Glass: courts are popping up everywhere, and noise is now the main battleground in planning meetings. This time, the padel side won.