4 days ago
EXCLUSIVE The DEATH of fun! Fury as NIMBY neighbours force council to close public basketball court for 'mad' reason after similar militant locals BAN weddings and drinking near their homes
It's official - fun is under attack. Across Britain, ordinary people, especially the young, are being hounded, hobbled and harassed by joyless NIMBYs and killjoy councils obsessed with banning anything louder than a whisper.
The latest madness? A public basketball court, a lifeline for teens in the town of Walmer, Kent - has been shut down because neighbours complained it was 'too noisy'.
The town council also added that unlocking and locking the area was costing £1,200 a year, which it described as not being cost-effective for taxpayers'.
This isn't an isolated incident. Across the country, similar stories are cropping up with alarming regularity.
In Wiltshire the council refused to allow a stunning country home, Euridge Manor, an application to hold events because of complaints from locals that it would be 'like having a disco in the back garden'.
Similarly an iconic gay London nightclub, G-A-Y, has been put on the market after its owner said strict licensing conditions and NIMBYs contributed to the area 'losing its queer identity'.
NIMBYs even tried to block the conversion of a local property in Brandlesholme into a children's home as it will be 'detrimental to others living in the area'.
So MailOnline has found some some of the most ridiculous examples of residents getting their way at all costs.
A town council has sparked fury by closing a tiny basketball court in a seaside town after complaints teenagers have been making too much noise.
Angry locals now fear the teenagers who used the area will 'cause chaos' in the town of Deal in Kent.
Walmer Town Council has closed the multi-use games area (Muga) after some locals complained about noise coming from youths playing late at night.
But residents nearby described the decision as 'really sad' and 'upsetting'.
The town council said unlocking and locking the area was costing £1,200 a year, which it described as not being cost-effective for taxpayers'.
Some locals said they wanted to see action taken against youths making noise late at night but believe a total closure is 'madness'.
Dianne Begg, 77, who lives opposite, said a total closure had caused her upset.
She said: 'The noise at times could be annoying. Especially late at night when the ball hit the fence, it was bang, bang, bang.
'It could be frightening. But I am shocked to hear they have closed it all together. What use will that do? They'll have nowhere to go. It's not a good idea.'
Martyn O'Connor, 56, who has lived in the area for ten years, said the decision was 'madness'.
The plumber said: 'I can't believe they've done that. It's foolish. It's madness. There was some noise every so often. But don't move into a house opposite a sports field if you don't want to hear noise. What do people expect? It's literally ten metres away.
'Go and live in the middle of nowhere if you don't want some noise. Closing it is very foolish. There's no benefit. You'll just have youths playing on the streets and hanging around rather than doing something active.
'Walmer isn't exactly full of wonderful things to do or tourist attractions. This at least gave the kids a purpose and it's an activity. To close it is a very backward decision.'
But Kevin Gordon, 62, said the noise was 'hellish'. He said: 'I live opposite and it's a real pain. It does my head in.
'I can't get sleep because often they're playing at 10 and 11pm. It's a nightmare. It's frightening.
'It sounds like they'll be coming through the front door. They've hit my windows before, I feared they would smash.'
Another local said: 'The people complaining have got nothing better to do. In Britain, in 2025 right now, there are far more serious and pressing matters to deal with.'
WTC started a consultation on the future of the Muga in July 2024.
They say this showed that only a small number of people were using the facility.
Councilor Mike Eddy said: 'We have had complaints about the noise. Discussions are now ongoing about the future.'
Walmer council leader Trevor Bond said he was assessing the concerns of locals.
A spokesman for the council said: 'The decision was taken based on a few factors.
'We ran a survey on the usage of the Muga and found that only a minimal number of people were using the facility.
'When this was combined with the cost of opening the facility, members felt that this was no longer a cost-effective usage of the taxpayers' money.
'Walmer Town Council received regular complaints about the noise from the facility from the neighbours about the facility.
'Another factor the council took into account was that down the road there has been significant investment in the facilities at both Victoria Park and Marke Wood.
The Muga will remain locked and unused by the public for the foreseeable future, and there are no plans to demolish the site.
No parties
And Walmer locals are not the only ones waging war on their local area.
Soho has always been the life of the party for London's cocktail sippers and club-goers but not one one street.
In the heart of central London, the lights have gone out in one of the capital's most well-loved clubs.
The iconic gay nightclub has been forced to sell up after its owner said strict licensing conditions and NIMBYs contributed to the area 'losing its queer identity'.
G-A-Y nightclub in Soho was listed for sale in January by its owner Jeremy Joseph, who expressed his 'sadness' and disappointment at Soho 'losing its vibrancy'.
Mr Joseph, 58, also took aim at 'anyone with power' and said they did not care about the hospitality sector or LGBT venues which has left Old Compton Street - where the club is situated - no longer feeling like 'the gayest'.
The club, which spans 4,600 sq ft over its vast three floors is available now for a price of £410,000 per year which has been backdated from October 2024 to October 2044.
The agreement means whoever purchases the lease will pay more than £8 million to own the property in roughly two decades time.
The move to list the club for sale comes just two months after G-A-Y's sister venue, Heaven, was temporarily closed due to an alleged rape of a female by a male bouncer.
'This isn't an easy decision, to me this is more than just a bar,' Mr Joseph's Instagram statement read.
PIctured is the statement by G-A-Y's owner, posted on Instagram announcing the sale
The 58-year-old went on to take aim at The Soho Society, the police and environmental authorities after when describing how his plans to extend G-A-Y's drinks license to 3am led him fighting an 'uphill battle'.
In November 2023, Mr Joseph was forced to close G-A-Y Late, which held a license until 4am due to safety fears, and his moves to get it back he said, were blocked immediately.
'The Soho Society is the most damaging organisation to the hospitality industry,' he told MailOnline.
'As soon as you apply for a later license in Westminster, everyone objects. If you look at any way to improve your business whatsoever, they will slam the door in your face.
'Even the Mayor saying London is a 24-hour city is nonsense, there is no appetite for late venues.
'This is the worst I've seen the industry, and it's getting worse and worse'.
Care homes are banned
From clubs to care homes, cold-hearted locals have ignored the desperate plea for safe and loving homes for children in care and blocked the building of a new carehome.
More than 100 residents blasted plans for a three-bedroom children's home in a semi-detached house because it will look like a 'prison' and kids will play loudly in the park.
Bury Council's planning committee met in February to decide if Orchid Care Limited, a children's residential care business, could change the use of the property on Rudgwick Drive, Brandlesholme, so three children aged seven to 18 with no home can stay there.
Neighbours said proposals to convert the property on a quiet residential street would be detrimental to others living in the area.
One heartbroken local is planning to sell her 'forever home' if plans to change the use of the house are approved.
The mother-of-one said: 'There are very few teenagers living on the street to make friends with so they will soon become bored.
'There is nothing for them to do in the area other than hang around the park. I'd hate for that to be a no-go area.
'If the plans are approved I am going to move. I am selling up. It will be heartbreaking because I thought this would be my forever home.'
Another resident said they have worked hard and deserve to enjoy their retirement in peace.
'We have worked hard all our lives to pay to own our home in a lovely residential area,' they said.
'We want to enjoy our retirement in peace.
'We expected the house to be bought by a family so it was a bit of a shock to discover it was bought by a business.
'They have another care home not too far from here and we have been told there has been a lot of trouble with noise and anti-social behaviour. The police are having to go there regularly, which we find rather worrying and are concerned it could happen here.
'There is a little bit of NIMBY element to this but we are protective of our homes and lifestyles.
'However, we really do feel there are more suitable areas for a children's home.
'There is nothing for them to do around here. The town centre isn't really in walking distance and there aren't any other amenities to keep them entertained.
'I fear that if they become bored, that's when trouble may start.
'There is a park close by and it's nice to see families playing on there but if teenagers are hanging around they might be put off playing there.
'We are also concerned the staff employed won't be properly trained to care for the children.'
Wedding bells silenced
While wedding bells are often a cause for celebration but not for one royal couple.
Instead of wishing the happy couples a long-lasting marriage King Charles joined the army of nuptial NIMBYs to block the creation of a wedding venue near Queen Camilla's home.
The sale of a £3million house next to Camilla's Wiltshire country retreat created fears that it could become a rowdy wedding venue.
Royal sources told the Mail last month that a proposal to sell The Old Mill next door and turn it into a wedding venue caused the Queen 'great anxiety', leading Charles to intervene at the eleventh hour to block the sale and buy the property with private funds.
A source familiar with the plans said: 'Think of it – dozens of wedding guests carousing every weekend just the other side of her fence.'
The King and Queen are far from being alone in their concerns over the raucous scenes that weddings can bring - even when they are being hosted at opulent stately homes.
MailOnline has spoken to residents on the frontlines of the war between locals and wedding venues to find out just how bad it's become.
Locals say Euridge Manor hosts two huge weddings each week - even though his application to hold the events has been at the centre of controversy.
It retrospectively applied for planning permission to hold events in 2021, which the council denied. An enforcement notice was then served in August 2022, prompting an appeal by Euridge Manor.
A second planning application was then made in September 2022 that also included plans for a new access road. It went over the statutory period for determination, leaving it undecided.
That has now also been appealed alongside the enforcement notice.
Euridge Manor say the matter has been the subject of a 10 day inquiry and a decision from an independent planning officer is likely within a couple of months.
His fed-up neighbours, many of whom expressed their objections to his lucrative wedding business, are on tenterhooks as they too await the outcome of his barrister-led appeal.
They have complained about the noise and obscene language emanating from the venue and the extra traffic the weddings generate along the narrow country lanes surrounding the property.
One local told MailOnline this week it was 'like having a disco in the back garden'.
Cyclists say they have been knocked off their bikes by wedding guests hurtling along the winding lanes nearby and horse riders complain the vehicles pass too close to their animals.
One resident who lives on the opposite side of the valley to Euridge Manor said the noise from the weddings is 'intolerable'.
She said: 'We have to listen to the speeches and all the swearing those speeches often contain.
In one particular instance, a best man was giving his speech through the public address system on a microphone and shouted 'W****r, W****r, W****r' at the top of his voice. A lot of children live round here and they are being subjected to some awful language.
'They say they are putting on so-called society weddings, but they sound like an uncouth lot to me, if the swearing is anything to go by.
'Then, when the music starts up, it's like having a disco in the back garden. The noise carries across the valley and seems to amplify it. It's like the acoustic effect of an amphitheatre.
'This used to be such a lovely place to live but since he started up with his weddings, life around here has become a nightmare. Many locals are considering selling up and leaving the area if he wins his appeal.
'And if he loses his appeal, what about the people who've booked weddings there in the months ahead? They'll have to cancel their plans and find somewhere else. That would be very stressful.'
