Plans by a golf club to build three padel tennis courts led to dozens of objections and have been turned down by Carmarthenshire County Council.

Machynys Peninsula Golf And Country Club, Llanelli, wants to build them on land next to its driving range and intends to reapply.

People living close by were worried about the noise they felt would emanate from the courts seven days a week, increased traffic and the impact of floodlighting, among other things.

“The golf range was a known feature when we chose to live here, and its activity is sporadic, low-level, and largely unobtrusive,” said one objector in an email to the council. “In contrast, the proposed padel courts would generate constant, repetitive noise.”

No objector who spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service wished to comment on the record.

Padel tennis is a racquet sport played in small, enclosed court with walls, combining elements of tennis and squash.

The three proposed courts would have clear plexi-glass sides with mesh walls above plus a roof covering, a design and access statement submitted as part of the application said.

They would be available for the public as well as members of the golf and country club, it added, with “ample” parking on two sides. “The new padel court facility caters to a growing need to diversify leisure activity in order to keep interest in new sports being introduced,” it said.

The planning application said the proposed hours of operation were 8am to 9pm seven days a week.

Many objections were submitted to the council in July, and the golf club held a meeting earlier this month which was attended by members, non-members and councillors.

A Machynys club spokesman said he felt the meeting went very well. He said the proposed courts would have a “heavy duty” PVC-style curtain surrounding them, plus the canopy and also an acoustic curtain on the side facing the nearest homes.

The council has turned the plans down on the grounds of a noise report, flood consequence assessment and the necessary ecological information not being submitted.

The Machynys spokesman said these reports had been commissioned and that the consultants doing them were very busy. He said the club would resubmit a new application once the reports had been received and that it had engaged an Italian company to build the courts subject to planning consent.

He added that the courts would be repositioned a bit further from the nearest homes, creating a 90m separation distance, and that the land in between would be landscaped.

Padel tennis is a fast-growing sport popular with all ages but there have been noise concerns at some locations where courts have been planned or built.

The Machynys spokesman said he was confident the acoustic study being done would demonstrate “zero sound” for residents due to the canopy, curtains and acoustic curtain.

Asked if the padel tennis proposal was popular with club members, he said: “Three hundred members have signed a petition asking for it.”