12 Feb 2026
Plans for new padel courts at Verulam School have been shelved in the wake of concerns about noise pollution from residents living near the site.
The school was proposing to build three indoor courts on the grassy area between the Sports Hall and Jennings Road.
According to publicity information, the building will be located next to the existing sports hall, with community use available outside school hours in the evenings, weekends and holidays.
The Dutch Tennis and Padel Association recommends that padel courts should be located no closer than 100 metres from the nearest residential dwelling and, in quiet areas, preferably around 160 metres.
But 85 properties in Jennings Road, Hamilton Road, Churchill Road, Park Avenue and The Dell fall within this zone, which prompted concerns from homeowners about disruption from the games.
Neighbours highlighted the sounds of the sport – which has been likened to gunshots because of the continuous bang noises – as well as the potential of large air conditioning units and increased use of the car park at the school.
At weekends and during school holidays the facility was expected to be open to the public between 7am to 10pm, and during term time from 4.30-10pm.
The company the school selected to work on the project was TopTierPadel, run by three young Spanish entrepreneurs, which was established in April 2024, and according to Companies House has debts of just £415. There is no evidence of the company having built any padel courts either in the UK or abroad.
However, correspondence sent from the school to neighbours describes TopTierPadel as “an experienced developer” with extensive experience within the industry.
A heated meeting between the school, local councillors and residents took place at the end of January, where questions were asked about the impact of the project on nearby homes.
Speaking to the St Albans Times earlier this week, Verulam School headteacher Fergal Moane said there had been a delay in informing residents about the proposals while waiting on the Department of Education to approve the change of land use, which was a necessary legal precondition before moving forwards.
But he subsequently revealed that plans for the scheme had been dropped altogether because it seemed unlikely that sufficient measures could be put in place to mitigate the impact of noise.
“We surveyed potential interested parties such as parents, staff, governors, alumni and our near neighbours in December before an invitation to a public meeting in January. This early consultation was before more detailed design and survey work and well in advance of a formal planning application.
“Although we received many expressions of support and interest in the growing sport of padel, we also received a number of valid concerns from local residents who would be most impacted by the development.
“We have also actively engaged with the Clarence ward and St Albans district councillors and listened to feedback that had been passed to them.
“The consultation exercise was undertaken in good faith, and allowed us to gather a wide set of views and concerns. We have taken time to consider the balance of benefits to Verulam students and the clear demand coming from the community versus the detriment that may be felt by near neighbours.
“Although we believed that some concerns could be mitigated, we maintained the view that excess noise would be problematic for the school as well as for near neighbours, given the proposed site next to our Sports Hall that is used for public examinations.
“After further reflection, we feel that it would not be possible to fully mitigate noise with the proposed enclosed design and a sound-proofed building would be outside the scope of what could be achieved with the investment by our development partners and also create its own planning issues.
“In summary, the identified location on our Brampton Road site is not suitable and we will not be moving forward with the padel proposal. We are naturally disappointed that this investment will not be coming to Verulam, but hope that you appreciate that this decision was carefully considered.
“We will continue to look at lower impact ways of improving sports provision at the Brampton Road site as well as a longer-term project to deliver a 3G artificial grass pitch at the Sandpit Lane playing fields.
“The school is operating in a very challenging funding environment, so it will be necessary to work with our school community, external community clubs and commercial partners to raise the capital needed for improvements.
“Substantive developments would, of course, be subject to the normal planning processes. Thank you to all that took the time to respond to the initial survey, attended the meeting and wrote to the school and local councillors in recent weeks.”
A spokesperson for Stop Verulam Padel, the campaign group set up by local residents to oppose the plans, said: “We welcome the decision by the school to permanently rule out building what was clearly an unsuitable sports development so close to homes.
“We are very proud of the community spirit that brought together neighbours from across a wide area to prevent this development.
“We hope that in future the school will take the time to include the community in its plans at an earlier stage. This would ensure that any prospective schemes work for the school and for those who live nearby.”
Clarence Ward councillor Josie Madoc added: “I have worked hard to ensure all residents are kept informed and up to date with developments on this, as well as working with the school to ensure we represent all of the residents views to them.
“This, alongside more information about the potential noise impact, has now resulted in withdrawal of the project, which I’m sure is a huge disappointment for the school and the students, but on balance, probably the right decision for this site and the local residents.”
