The tennis club’s landlord, the Fishbourne Playing Fields Association (FPFA), has submitted plans to build two padel courts on the grassy mound between the Fishbourne Centre bar and the tennis courts. The public consultation period is now over, with many comments both for and against the proposal, and we now await the verdict of Chichester District Council’s planning committee. Padel tennis is increasing in popularity all the time but  can be a divisive issue. While this is an FPFA proposal, not FTC”s, the tennis club is committed to working with the FPFA to gain the best possible outcome. The official comment posted by the FTC committee on the council website is as follows:

“Fishbourne Tennis Club, as the sports club most directly affected by this proposal, has considered this matter very carefully and the club’s committee has agreed the following statement: The proposed padel courts are hard up against the tennis courts of the Fishbourne Tennis Club (FTC), a thriving LTA accredited club for members and public with a growing membership, successful league teams and much valued coaching classes for adults and children. This proximity of the proposed northern padel court to tennis courts one and two would have a severe detrimental effect on our ability to use these courts because of noise and potential light intrusion. Access to the tennis club via a narrow path between the padel courts is similarly highly undesirable. The tennis club feels all this would inevitably lead to a reduction in the tennis activities the club is able to offer, a lessening of the health and wellbeing benefits to the local community and a potential decrease in our membership. However, FTC is well aware of the appeal and benefits of padel tennis and is keen to work with the FPFA to see a scheme introduced in Fishbourne that introduces padel without sacrificing what is already so successful and highly valued. If FTC were to support this scheme it would therefore be on the basis that both padel courts are moved south to allow for a gap between tennis and padel courts sufficiently wide for a disabled access path and substantial noise and light screening to be installed”.