Balgowlah Heights: Bareena Park Tennis Club defends plans for new night games after resident backlash
Northern beaches’ tennis players have rallied to defend their club’s plans for new night-time matches after it copped an angry serve from local residents.
Manly
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Northern beaches’ tennis players are rallying behind plans for their club to install light poles to offer night-time matches after the proposal copped an angry serve from locals.
Bareena Park Tennis Club, at Balgowlah Heights, lodged a $216,0000 plan to expand its playing hours to help stop a decline in members.
The development application, approved by planning authorities, will allow eight new 7m high poles — with 12 lights — on three courts, enabling the club to extend its current sunset closing hours until 9pm.
Northern Beaches Council had received a total of 238 submissions when the plans went on public display, with 194 in support of the night time play.
Those 44 who opposed the lights had concerns about increased noise and “light pollution” flooding into neighbouring houses as well the negative impacts on a population of long-nosed bandicoots.
The club had made two previous unsuccessful bids for lighting in the past in 1999 and 2008.
One neighbour opposed to the lights, who asked that their name be withheld, said locals would not only have to put up with the night-time noise from ball and racket contact.
“(There is) yelling, squealing, sometimes grunting and occasional foul language and loud conversations of players and the instructions being called out to players from the coaches,” the neighbour wrote.
“Noise resulting from night use of courts by players and spectators at the clubhouse and from leaving the premises to their cars, or on foot, will have a detrimental negative impact on the night time privacy and quality of life of neighbours.
“Is it really a necessity to accommodate 12 people playing night tennis at this venue at the expense of surrounding neighbour’s quality of life?”
The club originally applied to stay open until 10pm.
In support of the extended hours and lighting, Rachel Keeling, of Balgowlah Heights, wrote that extended the hours would ensure the survival of the club and allow the whole community, both members and non-members access to a recreational sport space.
“This venue is such an ingrained part of the Balgowlah Heights community and adding lights would encourage even greater community usage.”
Carolyn Gibbons, of Clontarf, believed that it would attract more members to join the club as well as provide extra revenue from court hire while Anji Kirwan, of North Balgowlah, said it would support community involvement in physical activity for all ages.
Tim Barry, wrote that he had “fond memories of playing there every weekend, many times until it was so dark we couldn’t see the ball”.
“Lights here at overdue and would be fantastic for the neighbourhood.”
But the non-profit club, founded in 1957, argued the works would address its declining membership numbers.
“Bareena is today the only remaining club on the Northern Beaches without lights,” according to a plan of management submitted with the application.
“The club cannot meet the needs of the new family demographic, that is, working parents who cannot play tennis except in the evenings,” the plan stated.
“Our juniors are also disadvantaged and prevented from playing after 5pm in the two winter terms.
“Although most courts in our area operate until 10pm, such as Allambie, Manly, Keirle Park and Balgowlah, the Bareena DA application has been revised to 9pm in consideration of our neighbours.”
The DA was approved by the Northern Beaches Local Planning Panel. It was refered to the independnet panel becasue the land accommodating the courts is owned by the council.
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