“Gutted” tennis club near Milton Keynes forced to close after it loses five year planning battle

Keith Lovell, Stuart Lovell, and Barbara-Anne Hamilton Lovell took their battle with Milton Keynes Council over the G2E Tennis & Sports Club in North Crawley to a Government planning inspector.

The inspector backed the council and gave the club four months to take down three tennis courts and the lighting at Ringcroft Farm, in Cranfield Road, near Newport Pagnell.

Government planning inspector, Hilda Higenbottam, visited the site on January 21 and, on March 18 issued her decision to support the council’s enforcement of its rules.

The inspector said: “The main issues in this case is the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, which is in open countryside, including the effect of floodlighting.”

She rejected the appellant’s case that there was a limited exposure to public views, saying that the development is “clearly visible” and “appears as a prominent visual intrusion in the landscape.”

And she added that plans to use vegetation to hide the development would only limit views of it. “This in my view does not result in a development appropriate to its context,” she said.

The inspector was also not convinced that tennis courts could be considered countryside recreation.

She supported the council’s policy of only granting development which is “wholly appropriate” to a rural area.

“To my mind the tennis court development due to its form and location on rising ground results in a significant visual intrusion in the open countryside,” she said.

She rejected offers to switch the lights off at designated times.

“In my view,” she said in her decision note, “the lights serving the tennis courts result in an intrusive light source to those travelling through the area or living nearby with windows facing towards the appeal site, particularly when viewed from Shire Lane and Cranfield Road.

“While that harm could be reduced by the imposition of conditions on the hours of operation of the lights it would still remain an unacceptable harm and inevitably detract from the character of the countryside.”

She said any economic benefits from the club did not outweigh the harm.

“While the activity is supported in general this does not, to my mind, outweigh the harm to the character and appearance of the area,” she concluded.

In a statement on its website the club admitted defeat.

“It is with great regret that we inform you G2E Tennis & Sports Club will be shutting and not reopening after COVID 19.

“We will be reviewing our position and seeing if we as a sporting venue can pivot and provide other sports.”

The statement adds: “To state that we are “gutted” would be an understatement.”

“Keep safe and hope to see everyone at a later date,” it adds.