England star Trent Alexander-Arnold can now celebrate his success after receiving approval to keep a £50,000 padel court he constructed in the garden of his £5 million Cheshire mansion.
The Liverpool defender, who is speculated to be a major target for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, initially built the sports facility without council consent and faced the risk of having to dismantle it due to concerns from neighbors about potential noise disrupting their peace.
The opulent five-acre estate already includes a swimming pool, cinema, games room, bar, wildlife pond, and paddock. Despite these luxurious features, the addition of the padel court stirred controversy.
Alexander-Arnold, who is in a relationship with Iris Law, daughter of actor Jude Law, has now emerged victorious as council officials overruled local objections, stating that the padel court aligns with planning policies and is deemed acceptable.
The council officials praised the construction of the court, noting that it is well-screened by extensive boundary planting on all sides, which effectively hides it from public view.
The case officer emphasized that the visual impact of the court is contained within the estate, preventing any disruption to the surrounding open countryside.
‘The size of the panel court is also not considered to be excessively large for private use with a footprint of 130sqm and predominant height of 3m and a maximum height of 4m for the side panels which consists of a light weight mesh above. The black colour also helps the proposal to blend in with the existing boundary treatment.
Alexander-Arnold, who won the nation’s hearts as he slammed England into the semi-finals against Switzerland in the Euros, agreed to tear down four floodlights and hired landscapers to plant trees and hedges and provide screening around the new court.
It came more than two years after the structure was built – with the local parish council kicking up a raquet as they feared he would disturb locals in the quiet village where neighbours include former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.
As part of the conditions by which the council have consented to the court, Alexander-Arnold must now plant new trees, plants and cultivate hedges.
The floodlights must be removed within three months to ‘prevent light pollution’ and he cannot light the courts externally in any other way. He is only allowed to use the facilities for recreational purpose.
Complaining about the application earlier this year, the local council complained that ‘no consideration has been given to the noise generated.’
They said: ‘A padel court for private use in no way justifies an intrusion into the open countryside surrounding a village.
‘Settlement Boundaries must be respected if our countryside is to be preserved.’
Padel tennis is said to be the world’s fastest growing sport and garden courts are becoming the ultimate outdoor status symbol for the country homes of the rich and famous.
The all-action game – which originated in Mexico – is a cross between tennis and squash, usually played in doubles pairings on an enclosed court about a third of the size of a tennis court.
Players are allowed to use the glass walls surrounding the court as long as the ball bounces first.
A host of A-list celebrities have taken up the game which is particularly popular with the world’s top footballers.
‘The glass panels and metal framework for the padel court is not visible from the road and there is no visibility from any public right of way in the area.’
Pop star Shakira, Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas, supermodel Elle Macpherson and rapper Stormzy are among celebrities who have championed padel tennis.
Top footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and David Beckham have also become hooked on the sport.
Brazilian legend Neymar is so passionate he has had two padel courts built in the grounds of his sprawling mansion in Rio de Janeiro.
And Alexander Arnold appears to be following the lead of former boss Jurgen Klopp who had a court installed at Liverpool’s training ground and has concentrated on improving his game since quitting the club earlier this year.
