Residents have fought off plans to build a city's first padel courts - claiming the noise of the rackets was 'intolerable' and sounded like gunfire.
The Lansdown Tennis, Squash and Croquet Club in Bath had hoped to turn one of its 11 tennis courts into two padel courts and a mini tennis court.
Padel is a racket sport of Mexican origin usually played in doubles on an enclosed court and has enjoyed a meteroic rise - becoming one of the fastest growing sports in the world.
But a planning application to bring the sport to Bath for the first time was turned down - after dozens of objections from neighbours.
One of the major concerns was around the noise level the rackets generate when the ball is struck - described as 'like gunfire.'
And one resident John Baxter, who moved the area in 2006, said padel boarding would have been a nightamare for locals.
He said: "There will be disruption and negative impact upon health outlook privacy noise and right to a peaceful life."
"When we moved here in 2006 the application site was a quiet croquet lawn.”
John Morgan, a Lansdown Club member, said: "What you actually hear is gunfire-like noise, perhaps sixteen times background noise", before banging on the table to demonstrate.
He added: "Noise is the Achilles heel of padel."
Representing the neighbours at the meeting, Tessa Hampton, of Context Planning, said: “Padel tennis generates a much greater level of noise and disturbance than tennis due to the hard bats and pressurised balls which constantly rebound against the court walls.”
Currently fans of the sport having to travel to Bristol to play it - but locals said they were relieved after the application was refused by Bath and North East Somerset Council last week.
A 59-year old man, who lives nearby and is a member of the tennis club, said he was relieved the padel plans had been blocked.
He said: “Having experience of living close by to padel courts in Spain, I am in agreement with the refusal of this.
“The noise pollution would have been intolerable.”
The neighbour said the echo of bat on ball against the transparent walls causes an unbearable din.
He said: “There is an enormous difference in the noise.
“It is a great game but I don’t want to be an involuntary spectator.”
A neighbour in his 80s, who also withheld his name, said the community had rallied against the proposal with good reason.
He said: “It is not being obstructive for the sake of being obstructive.
“You have got to think about the impact on your neighbours.
“I am very happy that it has been rejected.
“It was just going to be very noisy and there would be more traffic - it was all negative.
“We have got a lady next door who has dementia, it would have kept her awake.”
He added that other sports at the club could become a victim of padel’s success.
He said: “They would want more courts because of the success of it.
“It could take the place of the croquet lawns.
