New padel courts could be created at a Staffordshire Moorlands golf club if plans are given the green light.
Two outdoor courts are being proposed for the grounds of Greenway Hall Golf Club in Stockton Brook.
Padel, described as a blend of tennis and squash, is seeing a surge in popularity across the world.
The land earmarked for the new courts at the golf club is currently an overspill car parking area, a form submitted to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council stated, and the development would result in the loss of 14 parking spaces.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the proposals said: “The proposed Padel courts represent an appropriate, small-scale addition to the existing recreational facilities at Greenway Hall Golf Club.
“The design has been carefully considered to preserve the openness of the Green Belt, protect and enhance the setting of the Caldon Canal Conservation Area through robust landscape planting and traditional boundary treatments (and) avoid harm to nearby listed buildings and minimise amenity impacts.”
Stockton Brook resident Stephen Davies said: “My only concern is regarding the parking because the surveys which were done may not have covered the issue in enough detail. I understand that the courts will result in a loss of 14 spaces in the existing overflow car park.
“However, as the development could be expected to create a need for up to eight additional spaces, the overall net result will be a loss of 22 spaces for the existing golf club, the driving range and the Lockside Restaurant which also occupy the site.
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“In addition, the Lockside Restaurant is currently being extended to cater for more customers and may therefore itself create an additional demand for parking spaces.
“Obviously there won’t be anyone playing golf on the course itself after night has fallen, but in summer months this can be very late.
“As the golf course, driving range, restaurant and padel courts are all to be open at the same times, up to 10pm, I would like further consideration to be given to whether the parking provision will be adequate for the likely demand from all these activities taken together.
“Some of the customers leaving the site late in the evening can be quite noisy even now, but the problem would be much worse for local residents if some of the cars were parked on Stanley Road right outside their homes.
“Beyond the immediate parking restrictions near the site entrance, Stanley Road has blind bends on both sides and is not suitable for parking anyway.”
