Elderly residents in Jurong West 'cannot bear' pickleball noise, town council exploring solutions
A Jurong West resident has raised concerns about pickleball being played at a badminton court near Block 529 Jurong West Street 52.
Stomper Ng, who recently turned 71, told Stomp that badminton has never been an issue but pickleball is much noisier.
"Pickleball is not suitable to play near HDB flats," he said. "The noise is terrible and my block has many senior citizens who cannot bear it.
"The sound can even be heard by my friends who stay on the 24th and 25th floors."
The Stomper, who lives on a lower floor, said the noise is even worse for him.
"Renovation construction is not so bad," he shared. "But this makes people crazy,"
"I used a measuring tape and found that the court is less than 30 feet away (9.1 metres) from my block. It's too close."
According to Ng, pickleball activities began with one group about six months ago.
However, in the past two months, more groups have shown up, some coming by bicycle or car. He believes they do not live in the estate.
The Stomper said he has already reported the issue to the town council three times.
"Some players understand when I talk to them nicely, but there are stubborn ones who still play until 8pm," he said. "This estate used to be quiet and peaceful.
"People even tell me to close my windows or use earplugs. That's too much already."
Ng hopes the authorities can build more indoor pickleball courts, or relocate the activity to somewhere further from residents.
"Maybe people can play pickleball at the National Stadium instead," he said.
In response to a Stomp query, the West Coast-Jurong West Town Council said: "We understand the frustration some residents have experienced due to the noise from pickleball activities in the area.
"The town council is engaging all relevant stakeholders to explore possible solutions.
"These include issuing general advisories on the use of common courts for pickleball, identifying alternative locations for play, and studying the feasibility of new infrastructure to better meet the needs of both residents and players.
"We thank residents for their patience and understanding as we work with the community and partner agencies to find a balanced and sustainable solution."
This is the latest in a string of complaints about pickleball this month.
A Sengkang resident said pickleball games are 'disturbing' their sleep while a One Fort resident told Stomp that daily pickleball games were 'driving us crazy'.
In response, pickleball enthusiasts said the noise from play was nowhere near as disruptive as construction works.
Both residents and players seem to agree on one thing: the need for more indoor courts.
