Simon Roberts, owner of an award-winning eco-home in Blythburgh, Suffolk, has won a planning battle with East Suffolk Council over the floodlights on his £80,000 private padel court. The 69-year-old retired university lecturer appealed to the Planning Inspectorate after the council rejected his retrospective planning application for the six-metre high lights, which they said would 'significantly erode the intrinsic landscape qualities of the area'. The inspector ruled in his favour, allowing the lights to remain.
Planning dispute over light spill and biodiversity
Roberts installed the floodlights in 2025, shortly after the council granted permission for the padel court itself, but with a condition that lighting could only be added if a biodiversity design strategy was approved. He consulted planners and designed custom lighting with plywood shades to prevent light spill, mapping the perimeter to ensure bats and other wildlife using nearby trees were not disturbed. Despite these measures, the council rejected the plans, arguing the lights would disrupt the area's 'dark skies, rural tranquillity and undeveloped character'.
Inspector's decision and conditions
Fearing he would have to dismantle the lights, Roberts appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. The inspector found that the measured illumination levels were well below 1 lux and noted that the National Landscape Team raised no objection, confirming that at such levels, the scheme would not cause significant light spill. Photographic evidence showed the glare shields were effective. The inspector approved the lights with conditions: they must operate between 7am and 9.30pm and continue to meet illumination limits.
'I felt like 'phew' I don't have to take the lights down,' Roberts told SWNS. 'I was relieved that the lighting is good enough to play. I was worried that if I was compromising the lighting, you would not be able to play.'
Background of the eco-home and padel court
Roberts and his wife Sarah Bruml, 68, have lived at the property since 1997, originally using it as a weekend escape from London. Between 2020 and 2021, they transformed the small holiday cottage into a sustainable, award-winning eco-cabin when they moved to Suffolk full-time. They decided to build a padel court on the grounds, despite Roberts barely playing initially. 'Our children love playing tennis and I thought it is nice to try and persuade them to travel to the east coast to play padel,' he explained. The court cost around £80,000 to build.
Community and recreational impact
Roberts noted that padel has become popular in the UK, partly due to celebrities like David Beckham. 'We have friends come and we play for hours, it is fun and social. There aren't many courts in our part of the country at all,' he said. His wife plays daily, and he plays twice a week. The council acknowledged the inspector's decision and welcomed the condition restricting hours to protect the dark night skies of the Coast and Heaths National Landscape.
