Request for Action on Offensive noise from Basket ball & Tennis Courts at Nuffield Park
Request for Action on Offensive noise from Basket ball & Tennis Courts at Nuffield Park
The Issue
Subject: Request for Action on Noise Disturbance from Basketball & Tennis Courts at Nuffield Park, Zetland
Dear Sydney of City Council, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, NSW EPA, NSW Ombudsman and fellow Zetland residents
We are residents of Zetland, living close to the basketball and tennis courts at Nuffield Park.
We sincerely apologise for bringing up this issue once again, as we understand it has been raised many times over the years. However, the ongoing noise disturbance from the basketball and tennis courts continues to severely affect residents living nearby, and I am hoping this time our concerns can be seriously considered.
A. The Problem:
Zetland is a high-density residential area, probably one of the most dense area in Australia, with lots of apartments and buildings. At the 2016 census, 91.4 per cent of occupied private dwellings in Zetland were apartments or flats.
There are more renters living in the area than owners, for example the Meriton buildings right next to the park is build mostly for renters. This is also one of the reasons why this issue had been raised many times but then let go as people moved out of the area.
Combined with the frequent aircraft noise from nearby Mascot, major construction sites around, the constant basketball bouncing and echoing tennis sounds create an additional layer of disturbance - particularly for residents on higher levels, where sound reverberates and amplifies between concrete buildings.
The thudding of basketballs and sharp echo from tennis hits can feel like a hammer striking the wall repeatedly. It is intrusive, stressful, and impacts our ability to relax in our homes.
Many residents have resorted to keeping doors and windows closed year-round, relying on air conditioning to block the noise. Even with that, the sound still travels and remains extremely disruptive, especially during evenings and late hours.
Some residents have had to sell or move their homes because of this offensive noise, noted that they contacted council before and still received no response from Council.
The added noise of basketballs constantly bouncing and tennis balls hitting walls becomes overwhelming - especially for those of us who live closest to the park or on higher floors.
It’s hard to explain just how intrusive it is unless you’ve lived here. The sound travels upwards and echoes between the buildings. It feels like a hammer constantly hitting the wall next door - sometimes for hours at a time. It makes it hard to rest, focus, especially with young families and kids.
Of course, the people playing are just enjoying themselves - and they have every right to do so. But for the neighbours around, it becomes a source of daily stress. And stress, as we all know, is one of the silent burdens that can really affect mental and physical wellbeing.
B. Why It’s a Bigger Problem Now
It appears that the sport courts were built before the nearby residential developments, back when Zetland was a less developed area, pretty much empty land.
However, with the current level of urban density, this setup is no longer suitable. The design of the space - concrete surfaces surrounded by tall buildings - causes noise to travel upward and echo intensely to people homes.
The design of the space - hard surfaces surrounded by tall walls and buildings - means sound doesn’t disappear, it multiplies.
According to a publish by Western Australian government, it recommends a minimum separation distance of 100–150 metres between basketball courts and residential dwellings, due to the recognised impact of noise pollution.
The Basket ball court and Tennis court in Nuffield Park are right in the middle of a residential area, with no buffer at all. Clearly, the Nuffield Park courts do not meet such a standard.
Additionally, there are examples such as a basketball court in Mosman that was successfully relocated after similar community concerns, which demonstrates that such adjustments are possible and beneficial.
The use of loudspeakers and amplified music at the park has become increasingly common. This has made it difficult for many families, particularly those with young babies and school kids, which is the typical population of the area, to maintain healthy sleep routines. Residents are frequently disturbed late at night or in the early hours of the morning, sometimes at midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am or as early as 4am, 5am, 6am, and 7am, simply because others choose to use the courts without consideration for those living nearby. Calling police can help once but it is not the whole picture.
We have repeatedly reached out through phone calls, emails, and online reports, yet the lack of response from Sydney City Council has left residents feeling ignored and unsupported.
We emailed all the councillors and Lord Mayor Clover Moore and only received an email back from the Lord Mayor office advising Lord Mayor had asked Veronica Lee, Executive Director, City Services to look into the feedback about the sound from tennis balls and basket balls at Nuffield Park. And that is the last email since September 2025. We called and follow up with the council ever since but again, just no response. Dead end.
I believe there are many more cases like this where noise becomes an issue and council comes into action to help the residents for long term.
C. Noise exposure and Health risk
Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance.
Zetland sport courts have both low and high frequency noise.
High frequency (high pitched) sounds are easier for our ears to detect, which is why they often seem louder than low frequency sounds. However, low pitched noises can still cause hearing damage, even if it doesn’t seem as intense.
Low frequency "thump": The initial sound of the ball hitting the floor is a short-duration, low-frequency "thump" or "smack". This sound travels well through air and structures, which is why neighbors often hear the bass-like thud from a distance. Immediately following the thump is a high-pitched "ringing" or "boing" or “whooping” sound.
Low frequency noises when presented at high intensity and longer duration can become as damaging as the high frequency noises.
Low-frequency noise encompasses sound waves with frequencies below 300 Hertz, often defined as 500 Hz or less on Common Octave Bands. Characterized by deep pitch and long wavelengths, these sounds are highly resilient, capable of traveling vast distances. Unlike higher frequencies primarily perceived by the ear, low-frequency noise is often felt as vibrations. Prolonged exposure to low-frequency noise can lead to adverse health effects including headaches, increased heart rate, anxiety, vertigo, and fatigue.
Of the existing studies, the majority (both in animals and humans) show the damaging effects of low frequency noise on our hearing.
Source: Hearing Health Foundation
D. Solutions & Changes
We are not against sports or community facilities - in fact, we think they’re wonderful and important. We also truly believe there’s a way to find a better balance that allows recreation without disturbing people’s homes.
We believe there are several practical ways to improve the situation while still supporting community recreation:
- Repurpose the basketball court into a different sport activities with minimal noise for example: outdoor table tennis so it’s not hitting the wall and help with the sound of balls boucing on hard surface, or bike lanes for local children to practice or exercise space with exercise equipment or turn it into a dog park for Zetlanders.
- Remove the basketball hoops as soon as possible to prevent the offensive noise from the Basket Ball court
- Transform the tennis wall into a climbing or activity wall for children as soon as possible, providing a quieter yet engaging facility next to the off- leash dogs park.
- Relocate the basketball court to a more suitable area such as Sydney Park, where it would not directly impact residential homes.
- There are other larger sporting fields nearby that could accommodate basketball and tennis players.
- The Gunyama Park stage 2 are expected to finish soon which also can accommodate sport courts.
D. Examples of other sport courts in Sydney
- Prince Alfred Park Basketball Courts, Surry Hills: 2 full courts basket ball in a middle of big park, lots of buffer for noise emitted from the courts, right next to train lines and not closed to resident homes.
- Centennial Parklands Basketball Court: located in Centennial park and not close to resident homes.
- Beaconsfield Basketball Court : closed to people home but half court, With no lights and it’s a daytime-only spot. Others are managed privately.
- Alexandria Park Tennis Courts: again it’s located in a big park with lots of buffer for noise reduction
- Basket ball court and tennis court in Nuffield Park, Zetland: Relatively closed to people homes, located in the most dense area of not only Sydney but Australia. Located in the middle of high rise apartments with 4 sides are apartments, lights currently turned off at 9pm and have huge negative impact to people homes and the sport courts position offers no buffer for noise reduction for people homes.
This issue has been raised repeatedly in local Zetland community groups, but residents have not received a meaningful response from the council.
Unfortunately, when affected residents discuss the issue online, it often leads to negativity, bullied, unkind and hated comments from unaffected residents, discouraging people from speaking up. Mostly from unaffected residents thinking we are against sports but it’s not the true issue.
However it doesn’t mean we cannot find the solutions for the better or deserve to get ignored or bullied just because we have our doors and windows facing to the sport courts. It is not how a community should come together.
The Zetland community acknowledges and appreciates the council’s effort in creating an off-leash dog space in Nuffield Park in recent years showing care for dogs living in such a dense urban setting. We believe residents deserve the same level of care and respect for the wellbeing and better living standards.
We strongly request that the council act with urgency to address this issue and improve the living conditions, quality of life and well being of those impacted.
For those of us living near Nuffield Park, this is a real, urgent, daily issue. It impacts our comfort, our peace, and even our health. I’m reaching out not to complain, but to ask - please don’t ignore us. Please help us find a fair solution that lets everyone enjoy Zetland.
I truly hope this time our community’s concerns will be acknowledged and steps will be taken to create a more livable and harmonious environment for everyone.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We would be happy to assist in any consultation or community discussion if needed. We truly hope this message can help bring some change.
FOLLOW:
Videos and Photos link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ashvpg0VtFBh6e3uQrVHuZodVFaDrFg7
Noise Diary - Google doc link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-LVxIG6qJh-h4_5CWs4QvPAHV5VFrRfurYpTvWMqKws/edit?usp=drivesdk
Please also use this link to upload all the videos and photos you have with notes, date and time.
Email: Nuffieldparknoise@gmail.com
—Noise Diary - Sport courts Zetland—
- 9/11 : Noise bouncing till 10:30pm on basket ball court
- 10/11: Noise boucing from 7:30am
- 13/11 : lights off at 8:55pm but still noise bouncing till late non stop
- 13/11: Start hit hard the Tennis court making extremely hard noise and basket ball at 9:45pm. I Went downstairs to look , then the guy left
- 15/11 : Both Basket Ball and Tennis court thudding noise started from around 7am disturbing every one. It’s weekend so noise were non stop till dark and it’s extremely noisy
- 17/11: Started the noise at 11:37 pm by a group of basket ball players, disturbing local residents
- 19/11: it’s Wednesday and Loud speakers and amplified music were play non stop for couple hours with a big group of players - nightmare for residents. Kid could not go to bed till late.
- 24/11 : a group of players start boucing the noise at 10pm till midnight, called The Sound Sydney Police on Botany Rd for help
- 26/11: crazy Whooping noise from Tennis court started at 6am - Went downstairs talked to him politely and explained the noise actually very loud on upper levels. He said sorry, as soon as I turned away , he started to play again with no hesitation.
- 26/11: night time players came when lights are off and started to play disturbing the families and children around the courts area at around 10pm, then follows by another groups till later.
- 28/11: playing non stop after 9pm when lights off - never stop till around 10pm - disturbing local residents.
- 06/12 : Saturday start to play from 6:50am making loud noise from early morning
- Sat 6/12 Players come to play at 11:30pm making loud noise, cant sleep till they are gone
- Mon 08/12/25 @9:30pm lights off, Started playing from 9:30pm outside of designated hours and making loud noise night time
Warm regards,
Residents Impacted by Excessive Noise from sport courts in Nuffield Park, Zetland, NSW
252
The Issue
Subject: Request for Action on Noise Disturbance from Basketball & Tennis Courts at Nuffield Park, Zetland
Dear Sydney of City Council, Lord Mayor Clover Moore, NSW EPA, NSW Ombudsman and fellow Zetland residents
We are residents of Zetland, living close to the basketball and tennis courts at Nuffield Park.
We sincerely apologise for bringing up this issue once again, as we understand it has been raised many times over the years. However, the ongoing noise disturbance from the basketball and tennis courts continues to severely affect residents living nearby, and I am hoping this time our concerns can be seriously considered.
A. The Problem:
Zetland is a high-density residential area, probably one of the most dense area in Australia, with lots of apartments and buildings. At the 2016 census, 91.4 per cent of occupied private dwellings in Zetland were apartments or flats.
There are more renters living in the area than owners, for example the Meriton buildings right next to the park is build mostly for renters. This is also one of the reasons why this issue had been raised many times but then let go as people moved out of the area.
Combined with the frequent aircraft noise from nearby Mascot, major construction sites around, the constant basketball bouncing and echoing tennis sounds create an additional layer of disturbance - particularly for residents on higher levels, where sound reverberates and amplifies between concrete buildings.
The thudding of basketballs and sharp echo from tennis hits can feel like a hammer striking the wall repeatedly. It is intrusive, stressful, and impacts our ability to relax in our homes.
Many residents have resorted to keeping doors and windows closed year-round, relying on air conditioning to block the noise. Even with that, the sound still travels and remains extremely disruptive, especially during evenings and late hours.
Some residents have had to sell or move their homes because of this offensive noise, noted that they contacted council before and still received no response from Council.
The added noise of basketballs constantly bouncing and tennis balls hitting walls becomes overwhelming - especially for those of us who live closest to the park or on higher floors.
It’s hard to explain just how intrusive it is unless you’ve lived here. The sound travels upwards and echoes between the buildings. It feels like a hammer constantly hitting the wall next door - sometimes for hours at a time. It makes it hard to rest, focus, especially with young families and kids.
Of course, the people playing are just enjoying themselves - and they have every right to do so. But for the neighbours around, it becomes a source of daily stress. And stress, as we all know, is one of the silent burdens that can really affect mental and physical wellbeing.
B. Why It’s a Bigger Problem Now
It appears that the sport courts were built before the nearby residential developments, back when Zetland was a less developed area, pretty much empty land.
However, with the current level of urban density, this setup is no longer suitable. The design of the space - concrete surfaces surrounded by tall buildings - causes noise to travel upward and echo intensely to people homes.
The design of the space - hard surfaces surrounded by tall walls and buildings - means sound doesn’t disappear, it multiplies.
According to a publish by Western Australian government, it recommends a minimum separation distance of 100–150 metres between basketball courts and residential dwellings, due to the recognised impact of noise pollution.
The Basket ball court and Tennis court in Nuffield Park are right in the middle of a residential area, with no buffer at all. Clearly, the Nuffield Park courts do not meet such a standard.
Additionally, there are examples such as a basketball court in Mosman that was successfully relocated after similar community concerns, which demonstrates that such adjustments are possible and beneficial.
The use of loudspeakers and amplified music at the park has become increasingly common. This has made it difficult for many families, particularly those with young babies and school kids, which is the typical population of the area, to maintain healthy sleep routines. Residents are frequently disturbed late at night or in the early hours of the morning, sometimes at midnight, 1am, 2am, 3am or as early as 4am, 5am, 6am, and 7am, simply because others choose to use the courts without consideration for those living nearby. Calling police can help once but it is not the whole picture.
We have repeatedly reached out through phone calls, emails, and online reports, yet the lack of response from Sydney City Council has left residents feeling ignored and unsupported.
We emailed all the councillors and Lord Mayor Clover Moore and only received an email back from the Lord Mayor office advising Lord Mayor had asked Veronica Lee, Executive Director, City Services to look into the feedback about the sound from tennis balls and basket balls at Nuffield Park. And that is the last email since September 2025. We called and follow up with the council ever since but again, just no response. Dead end.
I believe there are many more cases like this where noise becomes an issue and council comes into action to help the residents for long term.
C. Noise exposure and Health risk
Exposure to noise constitutes a health risk. There is sufficient scientific evidence that noise exposure can induce hearing impairment, hypertension and ischemic heart disease, annoyance, sleep disturbance, and decreased school performance.
Zetland sport courts have both low and high frequency noise.
High frequency (high pitched) sounds are easier for our ears to detect, which is why they often seem louder than low frequency sounds. However, low pitched noises can still cause hearing damage, even if it doesn’t seem as intense.
Low frequency "thump": The initial sound of the ball hitting the floor is a short-duration, low-frequency "thump" or "smack". This sound travels well through air and structures, which is why neighbors often hear the bass-like thud from a distance. Immediately following the thump is a high-pitched "ringing" or "boing" or “whooping” sound.
Low frequency noises when presented at high intensity and longer duration can become as damaging as the high frequency noises.
Low-frequency noise encompasses sound waves with frequencies below 300 Hertz, often defined as 500 Hz or less on Common Octave Bands. Characterized by deep pitch and long wavelengths, these sounds are highly resilient, capable of traveling vast distances. Unlike higher frequencies primarily perceived by the ear, low-frequency noise is often felt as vibrations. Prolonged exposure to low-frequency noise can lead to adverse health effects including headaches, increased heart rate, anxiety, vertigo, and fatigue.
Of the existing studies, the majority (both in animals and humans) show the damaging effects of low frequency noise on our hearing.
Source: Hearing Health Foundation
D. Solutions & Changes
We are not against sports or community facilities - in fact, we think they’re wonderful and important. We also truly believe there’s a way to find a better balance that allows recreation without disturbing people’s homes.
We believe there are several practical ways to improve the situation while still supporting community recreation:
- Repurpose the basketball court into a different sport activities with minimal noise for example: outdoor table tennis so it’s not hitting the wall and help with the sound of balls boucing on hard surface, or bike lanes for local children to practice or exercise space with exercise equipment or turn it into a dog park for Zetlanders.
- Remove the basketball hoops as soon as possible to prevent the offensive noise from the Basket Ball court
- Transform the tennis wall into a climbing or activity wall for children as soon as possible, providing a quieter yet engaging facility next to the off- leash dogs park.
- Relocate the basketball court to a more suitable area such as Sydney Park, where it would not directly impact residential homes.
- There are other larger sporting fields nearby that could accommodate basketball and tennis players.
- The Gunyama Park stage 2 are expected to finish soon which also can accommodate sport courts.
D. Examples of other sport courts in Sydney
- Prince Alfred Park Basketball Courts, Surry Hills: 2 full courts basket ball in a middle of big park, lots of buffer for noise emitted from the courts, right next to train lines and not closed to resident homes.
- Centennial Parklands Basketball Court: located in Centennial park and not close to resident homes.
- Beaconsfield Basketball Court : closed to people home but half court, With no lights and it’s a daytime-only spot. Others are managed privately.
- Alexandria Park Tennis Courts: again it’s located in a big park with lots of buffer for noise reduction
- Basket ball court and tennis court in Nuffield Park, Zetland: Relatively closed to people homes, located in the most dense area of not only Sydney but Australia. Located in the middle of high rise apartments with 4 sides are apartments, lights currently turned off at 9pm and have huge negative impact to people homes and the sport courts position offers no buffer for noise reduction for people homes.
This issue has been raised repeatedly in local Zetland community groups, but residents have not received a meaningful response from the council.
Unfortunately, when affected residents discuss the issue online, it often leads to negativity, bullied, unkind and hated comments from unaffected residents, discouraging people from speaking up. Mostly from unaffected residents thinking we are against sports but it’s not the true issue.
However it doesn’t mean we cannot find the solutions for the better or deserve to get ignored or bullied just because we have our doors and windows facing to the sport courts. It is not how a community should come together.
The Zetland community acknowledges and appreciates the council’s effort in creating an off-leash dog space in Nuffield Park in recent years showing care for dogs living in such a dense urban setting. We believe residents deserve the same level of care and respect for the wellbeing and better living standards.
We strongly request that the council act with urgency to address this issue and improve the living conditions, quality of life and well being of those impacted.
For those of us living near Nuffield Park, this is a real, urgent, daily issue. It impacts our comfort, our peace, and even our health. I’m reaching out not to complain, but to ask - please don’t ignore us. Please help us find a fair solution that lets everyone enjoy Zetland.
I truly hope this time our community’s concerns will be acknowledged and steps will be taken to create a more livable and harmonious environment for everyone.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. We would be happy to assist in any consultation or community discussion if needed. We truly hope this message can help bring some change.
FOLLOW:
Videos and Photos link:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ashvpg0VtFBh6e3uQrVHuZodVFaDrFg7
Noise Diary - Google doc link:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-LVxIG6qJh-h4_5CWs4QvPAHV5VFrRfurYpTvWMqKws/edit?usp=drivesdk
Please also use this link to upload all the videos and photos you have with notes, date and time.
Email: Nuffieldparknoise@gmail.com
—Noise Diary - Sport courts Zetland—
- 9/11 : Noise bouncing till 10:30pm on basket ball court
- 10/11: Noise boucing from 7:30am
- 13/11 : lights off at 8:55pm but still noise bouncing till late non stop
- 13/11: Start hit hard the Tennis court making extremely hard noise and basket ball at 9:45pm. I Went downstairs to look , then the guy left
- 15/11 : Both Basket Ball and Tennis court thudding noise started from around 7am disturbing every one. It’s weekend so noise were non stop till dark and it’s extremely noisy
- 17/11: Started the noise at 11:37 pm by a group of basket ball players, disturbing local residents
- 19/11: it’s Wednesday and Loud speakers and amplified music were play non stop for couple hours with a big group of players - nightmare for residents. Kid could not go to bed till late.
- 24/11 : a group of players start boucing the noise at 10pm till midnight, called The Sound Sydney Police on Botany Rd for help
- 26/11: crazy Whooping noise from Tennis court started at 6am - Went downstairs talked to him politely and explained the noise actually very loud on upper levels. He said sorry, as soon as I turned away , he started to play again with no hesitation.
- 26/11: night time players came when lights are off and started to play disturbing the families and children around the courts area at around 10pm, then follows by another groups till later.
- 28/11: playing non stop after 9pm when lights off - never stop till around 10pm - disturbing local residents.
- 06/12 : Saturday start to play from 6:50am making loud noise from early morning
- Sat 6/12 Players come to play at 11:30pm making loud noise, cant sleep till they are gone
- Mon 08/12/25 @9:30pm lights off, Started playing from 9:30pm outside of designated hours and making loud noise night time
Warm regards,
Residents Impacted by Excessive Noise from sport courts in Nuffield Park, Zetland, NSW
252
The Decision Makers
Supporter Voices
Petition created on November 20, 2025